Order to restrict Starshield for Ukraine came from the White House — sources
The order to restrict the operation of the military satellite system Starshield, used by the Ukrainian Defense Forces, came from the White House. Earlier, the administration of US President Donald Trump denied its involvement in the communication problems.
This was reported on October 15 by Reuters, citing two American officials and a representative of one Western country familiar with the situation.
According to the agency's sources, the leadership of the US Department of Defense received a notification about the need to limit the speed of Starshield for the Ukrainian military.
Sources did not specify who exactly in the White House made the decision and who was responsible for its implementation. At the same time, a senior US official, in response to a Reuters request, stated that President Trump did not give such an order.
However, the White House did not answer the question of whether other administration representatives could have given the corresponding instruction.
Earlier, Washington denied involvement in the restrictions. On October 14, Axios, citing a senior American official, reported that the Trump administration had nothing to do with the satellite communication problems in Ukraine. The American side then explained the situation as a technical malfunction.
According to Axios, representatives of the Ukrainian government contacted the White House, the CIA, and the Pentagon in an attempt to establish the reasons for the restrictions. Journalists' sources claimed that the White House told Ukrainians that the administration allegedly did not control SpaceX's activities.
However, SpaceX founder Elon Musk stated on October 14 that the military system Starshield belongs to the US government and is under its control. According to him, speed limits and the use of such terminals are set by the US military, and the final decision rests with the US President.
Musk also emphasized the difference between Starshield and the commercial Starlink system owned by SpaceX.
The satellite communication restrictions, introduced without warning to the Ukrainian side, complicated the use of drones, particularly interceptor drones, as well as certain combat and logistics operations.
Meanwhile, on October 15, the Ukrainian military reported the restoration of Starshield operation while in motion. As previously written by Ukrainian media, citing sources in the Ministry of Defense, the functionality of the terminals was confirmed directly by military units. However, at that time it remained unclear whether the speed restrictions had been completely lifted.
The satellite communication situation arose against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Kyiv and Washington due to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Trump repeatedly demanded that these attacks be stopped, claiming they contribute to rising global oil and diesel prices.
According to Reuters, during a meeting between US and Ukrainian representatives in Miami on October 9, the American side expressed displeasure with the continued strikes on Russian refineries. At that time, administration representatives explained Washington's decision to purchase Russian diesel fuel as a desire to soften Moscow's position in peace negotiations.
However, there is currently no official confirmation that the Starshield restrictions were directly related to US demands to stop strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.