Ukraine Says Starlink Speed Restrictions Remain Despite Trump Assurance

Ukrainian officials said restrictions on Starlink communications remained in place on October 23, 2026, contradicting U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that the service had been fully restored. The restrictions affect connections used by fast-moving drones, according to five Ukrainian officials familiar with the matter, Reuters reported.

Officials report continued limits

Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Ukraine was not observing any lifting of the speed limits. He said isolated cases in which Starlink appeared to operate slightly faster could reflect SpaceX’s algorithms or particular usage conditions.

A source from Ukraine’s Defence Ministry and two other officials also confirmed that the restrictions persisted. Reuters reported that the caps had been in place since October 13, as relations between Kyiv and Washington deteriorated. The limits disrupt connections for drones traveling faster than 160 kilometers per hour.

Military consequences cited

Ukrainian officials said the restrictions complicated efforts to counter Russian drone attacks on cities and affected operations along the front line, where Starlink terminals are used to control drones operating toward occupied territory. Zelenskiy said the limits made it harder for Ukraine to repel attacks.

Denys Sienik of Ukraine’s embassy in the United States said on X that officials were still waiting for positive news and that nothing had changed as of Friday. Trump had said the previous day that SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s Starlink access. The competing statements had not been resolved by the time of the Reuters report.

Sources

Reuters: Ukraine says Starlink speed curbs remain