Trump Asked Musk to Lift Curbs on Ukraine Military's Starlink Service

Drone communications cut off above 160 kilometers per hour

Access improves for some units after call

President Donald Trump asked SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk to remove restrictions on the Ukrainian military's use of satellite communications, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The newspaper reported on October 22, citing U.S. officials, that Trump called Musk the previous day and asked him to lift restrictions on Starlink's military service. Trump was frustrated that speed limits on Starlink in Ukraine were still in place, the report said.

At issue was the speed at which terminals can remain connected. Equipment using Starshield, Starlink's military system, loses its satellite link when it moves faster than about 100 miles per hour, or 160 kilometers per hour. That has limited the use of fast-flying attack drones and interceptor drones used to defend against Russian aerial attacks.

Asked by reporters that day whether he had spoken with Musk, Trump declined to answer directly. "What matters is that he restored it," Trump said.

Reports from the field, however, differed. Some Ukrainian units said connectivity improved after the call, while others said the restrictions remained in place. Earlier that day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the speed limits had not been lifted.

Michael Kofman, a researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said removing the restrictions would help Ukraine's deep-strike capability and the wider deployment of jet-powered interceptor drones. He added that early tests by some Ukrainian units showed the system was operating more reliably than before.

Congress has begun looking into the matter. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said that day he would examine how access to Starshield was restricted for the Ukrainian military and how dependent the Defense Department is on SpaceX. He also said he had asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to explain who has the technical and legal authority to impose such restrictions and whether sufficient alternatives exist if the service is disrupted.