US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “be careful” in his public statements about US support for Ukraine.
US-supplied Starlink internet was recently restricted in Ukraine, hampering the war-torn country’s ability to respond to Russian assaults. Ukraine uses Starshield, the military and government version of the commercial Starlink, to conduct military operations.
In a previous interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Zelenskyy said he believed the U.S. government was responsible for the slowdown and that Ukraine was “blocked” by U.S. intelligence for a time. Zelenskyy said the speed of vehicles and drones linked to Starshield was still limited.
Bessent warned Zelensky against such claims.
“President (Donald) Trump and Secretary (Marco) Rubio have stated categorically that no one in the Trump administration has done this, and I think it is very reckless of President Zelensky to make such an accusation,” Bessent said on “Meet the Press.”
“President Zelensky must be very careful not to make such statements that are not true,” he added.
Starlink, high-speed satellite Internet proposed by Elon Musk EspaceXis essential to the defense of Ukraine. Musk himself said in an article on X last week that the US government and President Donald Trump were “ultimately” responsible for any slowdown in the military version of Starlink known as Starshield.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” Musk wrote. “Any speed or usage limits are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the POTUS.”
Reuters reported last week that the White House had ordered technology restrictions, but Trump denied responsibility for the slowdown.
“Well, I don’t know if it was anyone because it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” the president said last week. “And from what I understand, that’s how it’s always been.”
Relations between the United States and Ukraine have faced intense scrutiny throughout the second term of Trump, who has often opposed the war-torn country while pushing for a peace deal.
Trump recently expressed frustration over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, as he faces pressure from voters over sky-high gasoline and diesel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The president even personally blamed Zelensky for rising energy prices: “He wants to create problems for the world. He wants to create problems for our farmers, for our ranchers, with diesel fuel,” Trump said.
The surge in energy prices is largely due to the war between the United States and Iran, which has severely disrupted the Strait of Hormuz and choked off oil shipments from the Persian Gulf. The national average for a gallon of gasoline in the United States was nearly $4.30 on Sunday, according to AAA. Diesel cost about $6.32 per gallon, about 20 cents below September’s record high.
Trump tried to make up for the energy shortage by importing Russian diesel. In an article on Truth Social earlier this month, he said: “Diesel prices for Americans and, indeed, the world, will FALL, IN RECORD NUMBERS AND FAST!
Many US lawmakers, including Republicans, have condemned the president’s plan to buy Russian diesel. Congress recently sent Trump a mostly bipartisan package of sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s energy industry. Trump signed the bill but waived parts of it over the weekend, citing the national interest in an explanation to Congress.
“Beyond irresponsible. What part of the application of a law passed 86-11 by the Senate do the president and his advisors not understand?” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in an article on
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