Elon Musk may have personally approached US President Donald Trump with a proposal to restrict Starlink satellite communications for Ukrainian drones, infohub.kz reports.
Restrictions on Starlink satellite communications are preventing Ukrainian forces from using some of their drones. According to The Wall Street Journal, SpaceX head Elon Musk personally discussed the matter with US President Donald Trump.
"As a result of restrictions on the Starlink satellite communications system, Ukrainian forces can no longer use some of their drones. SpaceX head Elon Musk initially blamed the US government for this, but it appears the initiative actually came from him. This was reported by the British newspaper The Telegraph, and now a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) investigation has confirmed it," the publication says.
According to the outlet, Musk personally contacted US President Donald Trump to propose imposing restrictions and to sound out his opinion. According to CBS, Musk dislikes that his company appears as an organization profiting from the war in Ukraine.
What Trump told Musk during the conversation is unknown, but publicly he has claimed to know nothing about the situation. Asked who was obstructing Ukrainian drones, the US President said: "I don't know who it was, but I'd like to find out." Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also stated that the Pentagon had not issued any such orders.
For Ukraine, the restriction of Starlink is a huge problem. Under normal conditions, the communications terminal works even at drone speeds above 160 km/h, but Ukrainian units report failures at speeds of around 90 km/h. Connection drops prevent the use of interceptor drones and strike drones. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the situation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that Starlink service must be "restored."