Trump says Musk restored Ukraine’s Starlink access amid Russia war

The US president has declined to comment on the process that led Starlink to lift speed and access restrictions on Ukraine.United States President Donald Trump has said that tech mogul Elon Musk has restored Ukraine’s access to Starlink, a satellite internet service that plays a key role in Kyiv’s war effort and air defences.On Thursday, Trump declined to discuss a report from The Wall Street Journal that he had called Musk and instructed him to end restrictions on Ukraine’s connection.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What is Starshield, and who limited Ukraine’s access to it?list 2 of 3‘I don’t care how it’s done’: Trump pressures Ukraine to cut peace deallist 3 of 3Putin and Zelenskyy back three-way US peace talks on Ukraineend of listThe news outlet reported that Starlink services returned to normal following the call.“I don’t want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference, I guess. The bottom line, he put it back,” Trump told reporters when asked about the report.On October 13, Ukrainian officials announced that sudden restrictions on Starlink services had left the country’s military scrambling.Though the system came back online, connectivity has reportedly remained spotty.Questions have persisted about where the decision to restrict access came from, with Musk and the Trump administration officials trading blame.Trump has denied ordering restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starlink.“Well, I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” he said on Friday. “And from what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been.”US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said this week that decisions about Starlink’s speed and access belong to Musk.“The bottom line is that that is governed by a private commercial contract as to how ⁠their stuff can be used and what speeds they’ll allow it to be used at,” Rubio said on Wednesday.