Rubio says SpaceX and Musk decide Ukraine’s Starlink access as slowdown remains disputed
The US secretary of state described Ukraine’s Starlink access as a commercial decision, while earlier reporting attributed the slowdown to the White House.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Mumbai on October 21 that decisions about Ukraine’s access to Starlink rest with SpaceX and Elon Musk, rather than the White House. His comments matter to Ukrainian forces that use the satellite service for battlefield communications and drone operations amid a disputed account of who directed a reported slowdown.
Rubio told reporters he was unaware that the White House knew about the decision beforehand. He said a private commercial contract governed how the service could be used and what speeds SpaceX would allow. His account conflicts with earlier Reuters reporting that cited two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter who said the decision ultimately came from the White House. The administration denied that account.
Accounts of the Starlink slowdown differ
The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered a slowdown of a version of the service used by Ukraine, according to Deutsche Welle and CNBC. Both outlets attributed that account to the Journal. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the Journal’s report, and Musk and SpaceX did not respond to its requests for comment.
The Journal also reported that Musk and US President Donald Trump discussed the decision after the slowdown became public, according to Deutsche Welle and CNBC. CNBC said the Journal cited a person who claimed Musk had discussed the matter with senior administration officials, including Trump, beforehand. Those accounts leave the sequence and the decision-maker contested.
Rubio had earlier said nobody ordered the slowdown and that, to his understanding, service had been restored, Reuters reported. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also characterized the cutoff as a commercial matter and pointed to Starlink’s terms of service. Neither account resolves the conflict with the officials cited in Reuters’ earlier reporting.
What the disruption means for Ukraine
Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations. Reuters reported that restrictions hampered Ukrainian attack and air-defense drone missions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 20 that he had discussed the Starlink and Starshield situation with Rubio and that it needed to be restored.
The distinction between the services matters: Starshield is a military-grade version developed for the Pentagon. Rubio suggested Ukraine had never had access to Starshield, while Zelenskyy said both Starlink and Starshield had been disrupted. The precise service affected and extent of the disruption remain unclear.
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Sources and context
- Starlink access in Ukraine a decision for Musk, not White House, Rubio saysReuters, published by The Straits Times
- Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of Starlink in Ukraine — reportDeutsche Welle
- Elon Musk ordered Starlink slowdown for Ukraine: ReportCNBC
- Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink service used by Ukraine's military – reportReuters, published by Rappler
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.