Ukraine's Starshield Contract With US Expires Next Year: New Talks Underway

Ukraine's contract with the US government for access to Starshield, the military component of the Starlink satellite network, expires next year, prompting urgent negotiations for a new agreement. Acting Ukrainian ambassador to Washington, Denys Senik, told Reuters that Kyiv seeks clarity on whether cooperation can continue and under what terms, noting the contract ends mid-next year. Ukraine has also received no explanations from the Pentagon, White House, or SpaceX regarding sudden service restrictions. A bipartisan group of senators requested a Pentagon inspector general investigation into Starlink and Starshield speed limitations, but the Pentagon rejected the request. Ukraine denies Elon Musk's accusations of violating Starlink terms, stating regular Starlink cannot be used for strikes on Russia.