Key facts
- Starshield, a military-grade sister service to Starlink, restricted drone speeds to 100mph.
- The speed restriction hampered Ukraine's ability to protect itself from Russian attacks.
- A bipartisan group of US senators demanded an investigation into the network disruptions.
US President Donald Trump denied limiting Ukraine's access to Starshield, a military-grade internet service, after it restricted drone speeds, hampering Kyiv's defense. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the speed had not yet been restored. Elon Musk suggested the US government might be behind the restrictions, while Reuters reported the order came from the White House.
Ukraine was hit by several deadly strikes on Tuesday after the network slowdown. Starshield, which relies on Starlink, is a military-grade service designed for the Pentagon. The US had previously warned it could withhold sharing intelligence if Ukraine did not stop hitting Russian oil refineries.
A bipartisan group of US senators has signed a letter demanding an investigation into the disruptions to the network, stating that restrictions reportedly degraded Ukraine's ability to conduct defensive operations. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that EU states would not abandon Ukraine, with funding for the country topping the agenda at a summit in Brussels.