Rubio: Ukraine does not have access to the military version of Starshield

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, October 17, that Ukraine does not have access to Starshield — the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network.

Kyiv’s request to be allowed to use the system for strikes deep inside Russia is, he said, “being discussed.”

Rubio drew a clear distinction between the two systems. “Starlink is a commercial product, right? So it’s regulated and maintained as a commercial product. Starshield is a defense, military product,” he said in remarks published by the State Department. According to the Anadolu Agency, Rubio described Starshield as a contract with the U.S. military that “has nothing to do with Ukraine.”

In addition, Rubio denied reports that the White House had ordered Starlink — used by Ukrainian drones — to be slowed down. He made his statement at Andrews Air Force Base.

“Nobody in the White House ordered anyone to slow down the internet or reduce speeds so that certain drones couldn’t use it,” Rubio said, calling reports of White House involvement “categorically false.”

He also added: “Something like that did happen, but as I understand it, everything has been restored. The speeds are back to what they were before.” Asked about Zelensky’s statements, Rubio replied: “I’m not sure Zelensky understands what he’s talking about, but it was not done intentionally,” Al Jazeera reports.

The Ukrainian side’s account differs from Washington’s position. Ukrainian officials say that late on Tuesday, October 13, speed limits were imposed on terminals, disrupting the course of combat operations, Newsweek reports. On October 17, Zelensky said that terminals lose connection at speeds above 161 km/h (100 mph). According to him, this makes interceptor drones launched against Russian jet drones virtually useless. Zelensky also said that Ukrainian tests showed the same terminals operated at 180 km/h on EU territory, Kyiv Post writes. Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov told the Associated Press that some of the restrictions had been lifted, but the speed limit remained, Fakti reports.

The statements of the two sides contradict each other. On October 14, Elon Musk placed responsibility on Washington, writing on X: “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Any speed or usage restrictions are set by the U.S. military and, ultimately, the President of the United States.” President Donald Trump said on Friday, October 16, that he had not ordered the disruption, Anadolu Agency reports. At the same time, The Telegraph, citing four sources, writes that the restrictions were proposed by Musk and approved by Trump, Kyiv Post reports.

The dispute has flared up amid criticism of Trump from both parties for lifting sanctions against Russia and countries that buy its oil and gas. Zelensky warned that such a concession only “encourages” Vladimir Putin to continue his attacks.