Burnham raises Ukraine’s Starlink access with Trump as Kyiv reports restrictions
Downing Street said the prime minister pressed for full access during a call with the US president. Ukrainian officials said speed restrictions remained in place.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham raised Ukraine’s need for full Starlink access with US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Friday, 23 October, Downing Street said. The intervention came as Ukrainian officials reported continuing restrictions on the satellite communications system, despite Trump’s earlier statement that access had been restored.
A No 10 spokeswoman said Burnham ‘underlined the importance for Ukraine to have full access to Starlink’ so it could continue defending itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion. He raised the issue after restrictions were placed on Kyiv’s use of the system, according to the Evening Standard’s report of the Downing Street account.
Ukrainian officials report continuing Starlink limits
Ukrainian officials told Reuters on Friday that speed restrictions remained in place. Sources within Ukraine’s defence ministry told the BBC they had no confirmation that limits on Starlink and its military counterpart, Starshield, had been lifted. They said the military was monitoring both networks.
The BBC reported that Ukrainian sources were recording drone connection losses at speeds of 161km/h, hampering military operations. The Evening Standard reported that Ukraine relies on Starlink to help intercept Russian missile and drone attacks and that speed limits had significantly curtailed that ability. Reuters said the caps had been in place since 13 October.
Trump says he would address any remaining problem
Speaking separately to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump said he had not spoken to SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk about the matter but would do so if access was still restricted. ‘If there is a problem, I’ll get it straightened out,’ he said. Trump also defended Musk, describing him as fair and saying he would not do anything wrong.
Responsibility for imposing the limits remains disputed. The Evening Standard reported that Musk suggested the order came from the White House, while the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk was behind the slowdown. The White House has denied deliberately placing limits on the network in Ukraine, according to the BBC.
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Sources and context
- Burnham raises Ukraine’s Starlink access in Trump phone callEvening Standard (PA Wire byline: Nina Lloyd)
- Trump says he will fix any Starlink access problem in UkraineReuters, republished by Channel NewsAsia
- Ukraine says Starlink still restricted after Trump says limits liftedBBC
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.