President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was investigating what he described as new restrictions on SpaceX’s Starshield service over the country, after similar speed limits were imposed last month.
“Our units have been recording significant disruptions in Starshield operations on Ukrainian territory for several days – across the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” he wrote Thursday morning.
The Star Shield is SpaceX satellite network for government and national security use, built on Starlink technology.
CNBC has contacted SpaceX and the White House for comment.
“The Ukrainian military has already investigated the circumstances, and these are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions,” he said.
Zelenskyy said the restrictions imposed an effective speed limit at terminals of 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), disconnecting anything that moved faster.
He added that this made it more difficult for Ukraine to intercept Russian jet drones.
“There have already been strikes that were successful because our interception systems cannot achieve sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time.”
The comments come as U.S.-brokered peace talks conclude Wednesday in Abu Dhabi and U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Moscow for further talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff and Kushner were greeted Thursday morning by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev upon their arrival at Vnukovo airport, according to Russia’s official Tass news agency. The two men were expected to discuss a lasting solution to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has now raged for more than four and a half years.
Later Thursday, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to meet with Zelensky on the sidelines of a political summit in Ireland.
Trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates between Ukrainian, Russian and American negotiators ended earlier this week without a major diplomatic breakthrough on a ceasefire or territorial settlement.
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