Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed that the U.S. had no hand in the recent restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield Systems, placing responsibility on Elon Musk and his company SpaceX.
“I’m not aware that we knew about this decision beforehand. But that’s irrelevant,” Secretary Rubio told reporters. “The bottom line is that [Starlink] is governed by a private commercial contract, as to how their stuff can be used and what speeds they’ll allow it to be used at.”
Musk Reportedly Acted Unilaterally
Secretary Rubio’s comments follow reports from several individuals familiar with the controversy, including U.S. officials, who told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Musk unilaterally ordered the speed restrictions.
Ukraine's Defenses Were Randomly Limited
On Oct. 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials revealed that communication between Ukrainian hardware and the satellite-based network was limited.
The restrictions led to Russian missiles striking Kyiv without an initial warning. The limits also left some of Ukraine’s attack and defense drones virtually useless.
Denial Among Musk & White House
After the announcement, Musk denied responsibility, stating that the U.S. government controls the systems.
Later reports revealed that the White House, however, told Ukrainian officials the opposite.
Secretary Rubio’s statements seem to corroborate accounts from WSJ’s report, which claim that President Donald Trump didn’t explicitly order retribution against Ukraine despite both his and Musk’s anger over the nation’s string of attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Trump & Musk's Public Anger Towards Ukraine
On Oct. 10, President Trump vocally expressed his frustration with President Zelenskyy over his offensive strategy against Russia.
“You can do whatever you want to Russia, but don’t hit the refineries because that’s a world problem. And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel,” President Trump said.
Musk agreed with President Trump, writing on X: “Zelensky has gone too far.”
Who's Telling The Truth?
The truth remains muddled despite WSJ’s reporting, as another individual familiar with the matter told the outlet that Musk spoke with multiple senior administration officials, including President Trump, to impose the speed caps.
