Trump asks Musk to lift Starlink speed cap in Ukraine: Report

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - US President Donald Trump called SpaceX founder Elon Musk and urged him to remove limits placed on a military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Thursday.

Citing US and Ukrainian officials, the Journal said the satellite service performed better soon after the conversation. Some Ukrainian officials told the WSJ full functionality had not been restored, but speeds were higher than under the cap.

Trump is said to expressed frustration that speeds were held at roughly 100 miles per hour, a restriction that left some Ukrainian offensive drones and interceptors unable to operate against Russian attacks.

An earlier WSJ report said Musk had ordered the slowdown. SpaceX and the White House have offered differing accounts on whether Musk acted alone or at the administration’s direction. The White House pointed to Trump’s recent denials that he asked Musk to throttle the service or knew who issued the order.

Starlink, operated by Musk’s SpaceX, has become an important communications lifeline for Ukraine in the war with Russia.

Merve Gül Aydoğan Ağlarcı