Relations between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have reached a new low after Ukraine's military reported restrictions on its access to Starlink and Starshield, the SpaceX satellite services on which its drones and communications depend. Kyiv also claimed that US intelligence warnings were cut off for two nights this week, leaving civilians more exposed to Russian ballistic missile attacks. Ukrainian authorities said connectivity was restored on Thursday, but only partially: according to a Ukrainian defence ministry source, receivers now work in motion only at speeds up to about 160 km/h (100 mph), too slow for interceptor drones to catch Russia's fast Shahed drones.
Who ordered the limits is disputed. Reuters, citing two US officials and a Western official, reported that the decision came from inside the White House and that Pentagon leaders were told to slow Starshield, the military version of Starlink. Axios, however, quoted a senior US official saying the White House played no role and that the administration would ask SpaceX what happened. Elon Musk, SpaceX's owner, said Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government and that any limits are set by the US military and ultimately the president. He also wrote on X that it was "time for Zelensky to go". Trump denied that US intelligence-sharing policy had changed. Zelensky said it was no technical fault but deliberate, told interviewers he felt betrayed, and called for "honesty".
The dispute follows a series of moves by Washington. Last week Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease sanctions on Russian diesel, aiming to lower fuel prices at home. Zelensky called it a "weak decision". Trump then said it was "time for Ukraine to get a new president", and Zelensky replied that Ukrainians, not Trump, choose their leader. Trump also announced an "energy ceasefire" halting attacks on energy infrastructure; Zelensky said it was news to him. On Thursday he said Ukraine would resume striking Russian refineries: "We're done." Russian authorities reported a drone and missile attack that started a fire at a refinery in Ryazan, south-east of Moscow. Trump called the strikes "disgraceful" and said Zelensky was harder to deal with than Putin.
Analysts link the shift to US domestic politics. High energy prices, worsened by the war in Iran, threaten Republican prospects in the November midterm elections, which will shape the second half of Trump's term. Majda Ruge of the European Council on Foreign Relations said Trump's hostility to refinery strikes reflects those pressures, while Dutch analyst Bob Deen said Trump is thinking of the midterms and looking for someone to blame. Musk, now the biggest Republican donor, has criticised Ukrainian attacks on Russian data centres.
The episode matters because of how deeply Starlink is embedded in Ukraine's war effort, from drone control to artillery coordination, with no comparable alternative. Defence expert Patrick Bolder said it leaves Ukraine dependent on the whims of the US president. Starlink does not operate in Russia, so Ukraine's long-range strikes on refineries are technically unaffected, but its air defences and front-line drones are not.