Trump Says Musk Has Restored Ukraine's Internet Access, While Zelensky Says Speeds Are Not Fully Back
US President Donald Trump has said Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's internet access. Ukraine's military communications depend heavily on Musk's satellite-based Starlink system, which makes the announcement significant for the battlefield.
Trump was speaking hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said connectivity, provided by Starlink, had yet to be fully restored. The gap between the two leaders' accounts shows the picture is still not entirely clear.
Musk has previously denied he was behind the slowdown, which affects Ukraine's ability to use drones to attack Russia.
Trump refused to be drawn on a report he had put pressure on Musk to restore access to the service, but when asked about it he said: 'Bottom line, he put it back.'
The Trump administration has previously insisted it did not instruct Musk's company to restrict access, and the White House has repeatedly said it did not order access to be restricted.
The connectivity restrictions came as Trump put pressure on Zelensky to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, which he has argued have caused prices to rise.
Faced with midterm elections next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed a deal to import Russian diesel for the US market — a move which has been criticised by Ukraine and its European allies.
Ukraine relies on Starlink, owned by Musk's SpaceX company, for a range of battle communications and early warning systems during Russian missile attacks. The system is therefore not just an internet service but an important part of Ukraine's defence.
Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky told a press conference the speed of the system used by Ukraine's military had still not been restored to 400 km/h yet, adding: 'We are working on it.' He said he was waiting to hear from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who promised to get back to him with information within 48 hours or so.
The Ukrainian president made the comments shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink. According to officials cited by the paper, Trump told Musk he was frustrated the system's speeds were still capped at around 160 km/h.
The speed limit made Ukraine's offensive drones and interceptors powerless against Russian attacks, the report said. It added that the system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after their conversation.
BBC News has not confirmed the Wall Street Journal's report. It has also contacted the White House and SpaceX to ask for an explanation, so formal confirmation of the restoration claim and its causes is still awaited.
Ukraine first reported an interruption to US intelligence sharing on 14 October. Musk said last week that the US government ultimately controls access to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink which Ukraine uses for some of its operations; the system was designed for the Pentagon, suggesting it may therefore be behind the restrictions. After Trump's 'he put it back' remark, attention will now be on whether speeds really do return in full.
