White House calls Zelensky’s accusations over Starlink slowdown for Ukrainian forces “extremely irresponsible”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with NBC News, called “extremely irresponsible” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claims that the White House administration had limited the speed of Starlink satellite communications for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Bessent stressed that both U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump had already denied White House involvement in slowing down Starlink’s operation in Ukraine. Despite this, according to the secretary, Zelensky continues to insist on his version of events.

“President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio have categorically stated that no one in the Trump administration did this. And I think it is extremely irresponsible on the part of President Zelensky to make such an accusation,” Bessent said.

When asked a follow-up question about the reasons for the network slowdown, the secretary replied that he had no knowledge of it.

“You know, again, I have no knowledge of this. But we have spoken very clearly. And, you know, President Zelensky should be very careful about making statements that do not correspond to reality,” he added.

In addition to the Starlink issue, Bessent also commented on the Ukrainian president’s broader statement about the necessity of Ukraine winning the war, calling it a “false dilemma.”

“President Zelensky presented a false dilemma this morning by saying that Ukraine must win. The war must end, and it will end as a result of a negotiated settlement,” the U.S. Treasury Secretary said.

According to Bessent, Trump has been working daily toward ending the war since taking office.