Trump denies restricting Starlink for Ukraine, says system works as before

President Donald Trump denied on October 16 that he ordered restrictions on Starlink's military version, Starshield, for Ukraine, claiming he was unaware of any slowdown and that the system "works the same as before." Trump told journalists he personally checked the matter that morning and heard in the news that nothing had been slowed down. He also promised to reveal details about the war's origins later, emphasizing his sole focus is ending the conflict, citing monthly soldier deaths. The alleged restrictions followed Trump's deal with Putin on Russian diesel supplies and demands for Ukraine to stop striking oil refineries, with threats to halt intelligence sharing. Former minister Mykhailo Fedorov claimed service resumed, but Musk attributed decisions to Trump.