- These restrictions have been at the center of the recent crisis between the Trump administration and the Ukrainian government.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky viewed the restrictions as retaliation by President Trump and Musk for his refusal to end strikes against Russian oil refineries.
- The crisis has given rise to bipartisan criticism and pressure and generated a blame game between the White House and SpaceX founder and CEO Musk.
Catch up quickly: The Ukrainian military uses SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications system to control and operate its reconnaissance and interception drones.
- When Starlink is not operating at full capacity, Ukraine’s ability to gather intelligence, use interceptor drones, and carry out long-range strikes against Russia is hampered.
- Ukraine relies on two satellite systems: one is SpaceX’s Starlink, which it uses for communications, ground forces, logistics and defensive drones – those that shoot down incoming drones.
- The other is Starshield, controlled by the US government and used for offensive military purposes.
- President Trump has denied that the White House was involved in restricting the system and claimed for several days that it was fully restored.
- On Friday, Trump denied reports that he had spoken to Musk, but said that if the system was still restricted, he would speak to Musk about it.
What they say: “Our monitoring systems detect a recovery of Starlink/Starshield speeds. We record speeds above 400 kilometers per hour, with stable connectivity,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
- The ministry said the restrictions were lifted thanks to Zelensky’s “direct dialogue” and “firm stance at the highest level.”
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