White House ordered temporary limit on Starshield for Ukraine

The White House ordered a temporary restriction on the Starshield satellite system used by Ukraine for battlefield communications and drone operations, according to two US officials and a Western official. The move comes as President Donald Trump pressures Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian refineries. The Defense Department received the message that the SpaceX Starshield service for the Ukrainian military needed to be slowed, though officials did not specify who made the decision. Ukrainian officials said the restrictions interfered with drone guidance systems, though receptors were later reported working at speeds up to 100 mph. The restriction follows deteriorating US-Ukraine relations after an October 9 Miami meeting where US officials expressed frustration over Kyiv's refinery strikes. Trump has blamed those attacks for rising energy prices, though experts attribute the surge mainly to the US-Israeli war with Iran. A senior US official denied the president made the request.