Rubio: Ukraine Has No Starshield Access, Talks Under Way
(MENAFN) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the United States is weighing a Ukrainian request for access to Starshield, a military satellite communications network, but that Kyiv has no access to it today.
“It’s not at this moment available to Ukraine, and that’s under conversation,” Rubio said, drawing a line between Starshield and Starlink, the commercial satellite internet service. Both operate under SpaceX.
Rubio said the two services are fundamentally different. “Starshield is a contract with the US military. It has nothing to do with Ukraine,” he said, adding that Kyiv wants the system to carry out deep strikes inside Russia.
“It’s under discussion right now of how they would want to use it,” he said.
Disruption claims rejected
Rubio also dismissed accusations that a reported Starlink disruption in Ukraine on Wednesday was intentional. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said it was.
“Well, I don’t know what Zelenskyy said. I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t deliberate. We have nothing to do with that,” Rubio said.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said restrictions on US-made Starlink terminals had slowed some drones on the battlefield. Zelenskyy added that Kyiv had not received the usual advance warning from Western partners ahead of Russian ballistic missile strikes aimed at the capital.
Rubio said Washington had not ordered any reduction in Starlink speeds and that service had reportedly returned to its earlier level. “No one at the White House ordered anyone to slow down internet or slow down speed so that certain drones couldn’t use it,” he said, calling the reports “categorically false.”
Trump: “It wasn’t me”
US President Donald Trump made a similar denial Friday, rejecting claims that he ordered a temporary disruption of Starlink for Ukraine’s military.
Asked at the White House whether he or Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Starlink, had decided to suspend access, Trump told reporters: “It wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon.”
“From what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been,” he added.
“It’s not at this moment available to Ukraine, and that’s under conversation,” Rubio said, drawing a line between Starshield and Starlink, the commercial satellite internet service. Both operate under SpaceX.
Rubio said the two services are fundamentally different. “Starshield is a contract with the US military. It has nothing to do with Ukraine,” he said, adding that Kyiv wants the system to carry out deep strikes inside Russia.
“It’s under discussion right now of how they would want to use it,” he said.
Disruption claims rejected
Rubio also dismissed accusations that a reported Starlink disruption in Ukraine on Wednesday was intentional. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said it was.
“Well, I don’t know what Zelenskyy said. I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t deliberate. We have nothing to do with that,” Rubio said.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said restrictions on US-made Starlink terminals had slowed some drones on the battlefield. Zelenskyy added that Kyiv had not received the usual advance warning from Western partners ahead of Russian ballistic missile strikes aimed at the capital.
Rubio said Washington had not ordered any reduction in Starlink speeds and that service had reportedly returned to its earlier level. “No one at the White House ordered anyone to slow down internet or slow down speed so that certain drones couldn’t use it,” he said, calling the reports “categorically false.”
Trump: “It wasn’t me”
US President Donald Trump made a similar denial Friday, rejecting claims that he ordered a temporary disruption of Starlink for Ukraine’s military.
Asked at the White House whether he or Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Starlink, had decided to suspend access, Trump told reporters: “It wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon.”
“From what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been,” he added.
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