Trump Asks Elon Musk To Lift Ukraine Starlink Restrictions: Reports

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier on Thursday that Starlink speed had not been restored for Ukraine, adding that he hoped for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the coming days.

Advertisement
Read Time: 2 mins
Donald Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink.

US President Donald Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing US officials.

The Starlink system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after the Trump-Musk conversation, according to US and Ukrainian officials cited by the Journal.

Some Ukrainian officials told the newspaper the system was not restored to full functionality but was working at higher speeds than under the cap. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier on Thursday that Starlink speed had not been restored for Ukraine, adding that he hoped for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the coming days.

Advertisement

Trump told Musk he was frustrated the system's speeds remained capped at around 100 mph (160 kph), the Journal said, citing officials.

Rubio said on Wednesday that decisions regarding Ukraine's access to Starlink were up to its parent company SpaceX and its CEO Musk, not the White House. 

Advertisement

Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations. Restricting the satellite service hampered the country's attack and air defense drone missions against Russia.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Featured Video Of The Day
Amit Shah's Swipe At Rahul Gandhi: Stay In 'Mock Parliament', PM Post Won't Come
Topics mentioned in this article

Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world