Photo: EPA
US President Donald Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Starlink’s military system in Ukraine, imposed by the SpaceX chief, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
According to American and Ukrainian officials, the system began operating closer to normal shortly after the conversation on Thursday.
Some Ukrainian officials said its functionality had not been fully restored, but operating speeds had improved compared with the earlier restrictions.
Sources said Trump told Musk he was frustrated that the speed limit remained at around 100 miles per hour (approximately 160 km/h). The restriction had effectively undermined the ability of some Ukrainian strike drones and interceptor drones to counter Russian attacks.
The call came after the WSJ reported that Musk had personally ordered the system to be slowed down.
SpaceX and the White House have offered differing accounts of how the decision was made, including whether Musk acted independently or followed instructions from the US administration.
Officials said Trump had told aides and allies throughout the week that he wanted the Starlink restrictions lifted. Ukrainian forces rely on the system to support their defense along the front line.
Musk, SpaceX and the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
In response to the WSJ’s inquiry, the White House referred to Trump’s recent remarks in which he denied asking Musk to restrict Starlink speeds and said he did not know who had issued the order.
Trump and Musk had previously discussed Ukraine and Starlink on the day the system’s slowdown became known.
