Former President Donald Trump has publicly denied any knowledge or involvement in the reported slowdown of SpaceX’s Starlink service in Ukraine. In response to media inquiries, Trump stated he was “not involved” and “doesn’t know who did it” when asked about Elon Musk’s potential role.
This denial comes amid reports suggesting Musk ordered the slowdown and discussed it with Trump. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has confirmed ongoing speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield services, adding that no explanation has been provided by the U.S.
Former President Donald Trump has denied any involvement in the decision to slow down SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine. Responding to questions from reporters as he departed the White House for a campaign rally, Trump stated, "I wasn't involved." When specifically asked if SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk was behind the move, Trump replied, "I don't know who did it, but I was not involved."
This statement comes after a report by The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S. officials and individuals familiar with the matter, claimed that Musk had ordered the slowdown and discussed it with Trump. The report suggested that the decision to throttle the critical satellite service, particularly the military-grade Starshield, had rendered some Ukrainian drones ineffective, potentially weakening their defense against Russian advances.
Pres. Trump: Don't know who ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, but 'I was not involved'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Monday that his military is still experiencing "speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield services in different parts of the front." He noted that Ukraine had received "no explanation for either of these issues... by the American side."
The Wall Street Journal's report further indicated that Musk discussed the Starlink throttling with multiple senior administration officials, including Trump himself, prior to implementing the speed cap. Both Trump and Musk have recently increased their criticism of President Zelenskyy, though neither has yet identified the party responsible for the Starlink disruption.
Musk himself had previously stated on X (formerly Twitter) that Starshield systems are "owned and controlled by the US government" and that any usage limits are "decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS."
Earlier on Wednesday, President Zelenskyy mentioned that he and Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik discussed "launching work on new satellite communication capabilities for our warriors." He added, "We will involve partners who have the capacity to provide support."
Sen. Cornyn: Don't believe Musk would order Starlink slowdown without White House acquiescence
Meanwhile, Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) expressed skepticism about Musk acting unilaterally, telling CNBC's "Squawk Box" that he "do[es] not believe Musk would throttle Starlink without 'at least the acquiescence of the White House.'"
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
MARKET VOWS NEWSLETTER
Stop entering after the move is obvious.
Most traders wait for momentum, confirmation, and headlines. By then, the edge is gone.
Market VOWS shows you where behavior is becoming constrained — where capital is being forced, optionality is collapsing, and price is beginning to be imposed.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
