Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he feels “betrayed” by Donald Trump after new restrictions on Starlink disrupted Ukrainian military operations.
Speaking during a visit to London on Wednesday, Zelensky said the sudden restrictions had affected Ukraine’s ability to operate drones and warned they could lead to further casualties.
Ukraine reported that military-grade Starlink services began disconnecting when terminals travelled at speeds above around 100mph (160km/h), forcing some drone missions to be abandoned.
Ukrainian units experienced intermittent losses of connection lasting between 10 and 20 seconds. ‘It’s a pity that we are losing a strong partner’
Asked whether he felt betrayed by the US president, Zelensky said: “Really, yes … but it’s a little bit more complicated than just my emotions or my feelings.”
He added: “It’s a pity that we are losing, we are losing a strong partner.”
Zelensky also claimed the US and SpaceX knew what they were doing when the restriction was imposed overnight, saying the move would result in “a lot of human losses”.
The remarks came as Zelensky travelled to Downing Street for talks with Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Starshield affected military drones
The disruption appears to have centred on Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s satellite system, rather than ordinary civilian Starlink connections.
Ukrainian officials said the restriction affected drone operations, reconnaissance and some air-defence missions. The precise reason for the change was initially unclear.
Elon Musk later said Starshield systems were owned and controlled by the US government and that restrictions on the military service were determined by Washington rather than SpaceX alone.
Later on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said high-speed connectivity was beginning to be restored.
Intelligence-sharing concerns
The Starlink disruption came amid separate concerns in Kyiv about US intelligence support.
Trump has denied that intelligence sharing with Ukraine has been stopped, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said there was no indication that cooperation had ended.
That does not resolve Ukraine’s separate complaint that it failed to receive advance warning of some recent Russian missile attacks.
