Ukraine's contract with the US government for access to the Starshield satellite network expires in the middle of 2027, and Kyiv is seeking to begin talks on a new one, Denys Sienik, the chargé d'affaires at Ukraine's embassy in Washington, said on November 5.
Sienik told the Defense Writers Group in Washington that the contract requires time to negotiate a replacement. "The contract expires next year for Starshield. And we understand that it requires time to negotiate a new one," he said, adding that "now is actually the time." He said Ukraine wants clarity on whether it can proceed and what the terms of reference will be.
Starshield's role in the war drew attention in October 2026 when Ukrainian battlefield commanders saw speed limitations imposed, hampering the military's ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forcing the cancellation of some operations, according to the report. Sienik said Ukraine sought an explanation from Washington and from SpaceX, the satellite firm run by Elon Musk that provides the Starshield military service to the US government, including at the Pentagon and the White House. "Nobody provided answers," he said.
The access issue is one of several developments that have alarmed Kyiv as it defends against Russian forces that invaded in February 2022. Ukraine said that at some point it experienced gaps in US intelligence on Russian missile attacks, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has complained about US delays on resupply for Patriot and NASAMS missile systems. He has also criticized President Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia.
Trump has criticized Zelenskiy over Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries, as high energy prices weighed on his fellow Republicans ahead of midterm elections that saw them lose control of the US Congress. A group of prominent Democrats in Congress asked Musk about the Starshield incident in a letter in October 2026, and senior lawmakers have promised to investigate US aid to Ukraine more broadly.
Musk said in an October 24 post on X that Starshield is controlled by the US government. While he defended SpaceX's role in helping defend Ukraine, he condemned "virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict." Zelenskiy, in comments to German public broadcaster ZDF on November 4, thanked SpaceX for connectivity while criticizing Musk's views. "We are grateful to SpaceX for providing us with connectivity. That was very helpful at the beginning of the war," he said. "But we must be very clear about this: we certainly do not like his position on this war."
