Ukraine war briefing: Uncertainty over Kyiv’s Starlink access after Trump claims Musk restored service
US president says Starshield military communications system is back, but declines to comment on whether he spoke to Musk on the matter. What we know on day 1,703 Donald Trump has claimed that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk fully restored Ukraine’s Starlink access, restrictions on which have hampered Ukraine’s attack missions and air defence. However, a senior European official told the Associated Press on Thursday that nothing has changed in the operation of the military-grade Starshield service.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of the system. Trump on Thursday appeared to confirm that the service had been down, but claimed it was once again working at optimal speeds. “You know, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference,” he said. “I guess the bottom line, he put it back.”
Questions over who ordered interruptions to Starshield – which plunged relations between Kyiv and Washington to a new low – have ignited a blame game within the Trump administration and its allies. Trump has denied being involved in the decision concerning the slowdown, while US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that decisions regarding Ukraine’s access to Starlink were up to its parent company SpaceX and Musk, not the White House.
Musk last week posted to X: “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and...
Read in depth: Politics
UK plans military aircraft support for wildfires ahead of first resilience summit
Fire services across the UK are set to be able to request RAF aircraft for difficult wildfires, alongside plans for specialist protective equipment and an AI unit.
Full details of Burnham’s water overhaul may wait until 2027 spending review
A broad plan for England’s water sector is expected in December, but officials are still working through how greater public control would operate and what it might cost.
Sources and context
The GuardianSource headline and summary supplied via NewsData.io. First collected by NewsJaws on 2026-10-23. This is an automated news brief, not original NewsJaws reporting. Dates reflect the source publication. Feed delays may apply.