The Wall Street Journal reported in a report published on Tuesday (October 20, 2026), that Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of satellite Internet services provided by the Starlink network and on which Ukraine relies for its military operations, in a move that raised concerns in Kiev and confused officials within the administration of US President Donald Trump.
The newspaper quoted American officials and informed sources as saying that the decision came amid escalating tensions due to the Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries in recent weeks, for which Trump held Ukraine responsible for the associated rise in energy prices, while both the American President and Musk expressed their dissatisfaction with these attacks.
The sources said that last week, Musk imposed restrictions on the communication speeds that Ukrainian devices can maintain via the Starlink network, which led to a significant decline in the effectiveness of some attack and interceptor drones. Two sources said that Musk and Trump discussed the decision related to Starlink during a phone call shortly after the service slowdown was revealed, while one of the sources said that they also discussed the matter before making the decision to impose restrictions on connection speed.
The public complaints of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, particularly his warning that Ukrainians might be killed if the service was not restored without restrictions, sparked confusion about who ordered the slowdown in communications, and also prompted an informal investigation inside the White House, according to the newspaper.
The US administration denies its involvement in slowing down Starlink service
During the controversy that followed the decision, representatives of SpaceX, which owns the Starlink service, reached out to the White House in an attempt to reach a common understanding of the circumstances of the decision, and to draft a message stating that the company and the Trump administration coordinated their positions before directing Musk to slow down the service, according to the sources who spoke to the newspaper.
In response, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Washington was not aware in advance of the slowdown in services of the “Starshield” system, the military version of the Starlink system, which is operated by SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, in Ukraine at a time when Kiev is counting on it in its war with Russia.
Speaking from India, Rubio said that US President Donald Trump “has nothing to do with the decisions made by Starlink, Starshed and Musk,” adding, “It is a private company. The president does not run the company and cannot direct the company to do anything,” adding, “I assure you, there was no prior knowledge.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also confirmed yesterday, Tuesday, that the Pentagon had not directed any changes to “Starshield,” saying, “We have not backed down from anything.” He added, "From our point of view, nothing has changed. We have not issued any directives or anything like that."
US President Donald Trump said last Friday that he did not request any restrictions on Starshield, saying, "It was not me. And I do not think that Elon was the one who did that."
Musk previously confirmed that any restrictions on the speed or use of Starshield systems would be “decision made by the US Army, and ultimately by the President of the United States.”
Ukraine uses "Starshield", a version designated for military use of the satellite Internet system "Starlink", in its communications on the battlefield, in carrying out strikes inside the territories occupied by Russia, as well as in operating its drones. Kiev also uses SpaceX's parallel civilian Starlink system.
Relations between Washington and Kiev have witnessed increasing tension in recent days, as Trump called for elections in Ukraine and for Zelensky to be replaced, after the latter criticized an American deal allowing more Russian diesel to enter global markets.
A fruitful and positive meeting between Witkov and Zelensky
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held “very fruitful and constructive” talks with envoys of US President Donald Trump in Oslo yesterday, Tuesday, according to what a US official told Agence France-Presse. The official said that Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, with a virtual participation from Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
These talks come at a time when Washington and Kiev are seeking to address the dispute that arose between them after Trump announced the conclusion of a diesel fuel deal with Russia and put pressure on Zelensky to end the war.
The official, who requested anonymity after the Oslo talks, added that "Ukraine put forward new ideas and proposals that were discussed in detail." He continued, "The parties have made tangible progress in agreeing on a coordinated approach to dealing with Russia and advancing the diplomatic process."
The official noted that Witkov's meeting with Putin aims to "build on the progress" made in the Oslo talks and pave the way for direct trilateral talks involving Kiev, Moscow and Washington.
The official stressed, "Although there is still important work ahead of us, today's discussions reflected a largely positive and constructive spirit, strong cooperation between the parties, and a shared determination to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that the meeting between Witkopf and Zelensky was positive, and that Witkopf will inform Russia of the results of this meeting. “Now armed with those ideas, he will be able to go to St. Petersburg and share them with the Russian side, and see if we can make some progress,” Rubio said.
