White House denies role in Ukraine Starlink restrictions, promises SpaceX inquiry

The White House has denied involvement in restrictions on Starlink services in Ukraine, promising to investigate the issue with SpaceX, according to Axios. Ukrainian officials raised concerns in calls to Washington on Wednesday. Top advisers to President Volodymyr Zelensky contacted White House colleagues, the CIA, and the Pentagon, asking if the decision to limit Starlink was made and how to fix it. US officials claim they do not control SpaceX and attribute the problem to a technical malfunction. SpaceX owner Elon Musk contradicted this, stating Starshield is owned by the US government and speed limits are set by the military and ultimately the president. The restrictions, which limited drone connectivity to 160 km/h, coincided with a major Russian attack on October 14.