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Reports indicate that Trump asked Musk to remove Ukrainian Starlink military speed limits. Although Trump did not confirm details of the call, he said that systems had been restored and that some of the Ukrainian military’s operations had indeed been improved.
The Wall Street Journal and The Hill reported that US officials said that the President of the United Statestrump SpaceX CEO called on 21stmusk lift requestukraine Ban on domestic military-grade Starlink systems. Trump did not say on the 22nd whether he called Musk himself, only saying: “The point is that he restored the system.”
The Wall Street Journal recently revealed that Musk ordered to limit the speed of Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink used for frontline defense, causing some of the Ukrainian military’s attack drones and interceptor drones to be unable to operate, weakening its ability to respond to Russian attacks. But SpaceX and the White House disagreed on whether Musk made his own decision or acted at the request of the Trump administration.
Trump told aides and associates this week that he wants to roll back Starlink speed restrictions, officials said. He expressed dissatisfaction with Musk during the call because the Starlink system still restricts the use of devices traveling faster than about 160 kilometers per hour. American and Ukrainian officials said the system was operating relatively normally on the 22nd, shortly after both were called off. Some Ukrainian officials reported that the system has not yet restored full functionality, but that it is already operating at high speeds during the speed limit.
When Trump was asked about this matter before leaving the White House on the 22nd, he said, “Well, I don’t want to say it, but I know this is a very interesting situation. I don’t want to comment positively or negatively on it.” He further added, “Whether it’s my call or someone else’s, it doesn’t matter.” Trump also said that his relationship with Musk is still “very good”.
Neither Musk nor SpaceX responded to inquiries, and the White House referred reporters to Trump’s recent denials. A Ukrainian official said some military units’ Starlink speeds have been increased, but other units are still subject to the same restrictions. “We are awaiting information and clarification from the United States on the situation and have not yet received any answers.”
Michael Koffman, a warfare expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: “Removing the speed limit would significantly increase Ukraine’s ability to launch strikes in the depth of a war and would also help Ukraine expand its current deployment of jet-powered interceptor drones.” Kaufman also said he learned from Ukrainian military units that initial tests showed the system was working more robustly.
Days before the Starlink speed limits were implemented, both Trump and Musk publicly criticized Ukrainian President Zelensky for attacking Russian diesel refineries. Trump believed that these attacks caused energy prices to rise. Over the past week, Trump and senior government officials have faced outside skepticism over why Starlink limited speeds and whether an order was issued. Trump has repeatedly denied ordering the speed limit or knowing who ordered it. However, The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Trump and Musk had discussed Ukraine and Starlink issues on the day the speed restriction measures were unveiled.
Summary FAQ
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US officials said Trump called Musk on the 21st and requested that sanctions on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink be lifted; However, Trump did not explicitly confirm this on the 22nd, only saying that the focus was on whether the system had been restored.
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The Wall Street Journal reported that the speed limit makes it difficult for some of the Ukrainian military’s attack and interception drones to operate, weakening its ability to defend the front line and counter Russian attacks, particularly impacting deep combat operations.
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US and Ukrainian officials said the system was operating relatively normally on the 22nd, but some Ukrainian units were still restricted and had not fully recovered; Ukraine also said it was still waiting for clarification from the United States on this.
