Rubio says US unaware of Ukraine Starlink slowdown issues
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the US government was unaware of a reduction in speed of SpaceX satellite communication systems used by Ukraine in its war against Russia. Rubio stated that decisions on Ukrainian access to Starlink belong to Elon Musk, not the White House. A Wall Street Journal report published Wednesday says Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade Starlink version that Ukraine relies on for defense against Russian missile attacks. Rubio told journalists during a trip to India that the matter is governed by a private commercial contract. Trump said last Friday he believed neither he nor Musk was behind the slowdown. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Ukrainian troops were being harmed by reduced speeds on Starlink and Starshield systems, and requested service restoration during a Tuesday call with Rubio.