Trump says Musk restored Ukraine’s access to Starlink, but Zelensky says military restrictions continue

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s access to the Starlink service, after restrictions affected Kyiv’s military communications and drone operations. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said access to the military version, Starshield, had not been fully restored.

Trump’s statement came after The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House leader had allegedly called Musk and asked him to lift the restrictions imposed on Ukraine. Asked whether he had spoken directly with the billionaire, Trump declined to provide details, saying the important thing was that the service had been restored.

The system reportedly operated closer to normal parameters on Thursday, but Ukrainian officials said speeds had not returned everywhere to their previous levels. In an interview with CNN, Zelensky warned that the restrictions were affecting Ukraine’s ability to intercept high-speed Russian drones, including Shahed aircraft powered by jet engines.

The Ukrainian president said his country uses Starlink for defense and battlefield communications, not to attack military or energy targets in Russia. Washington has not yet provided all the clarifications requested by Kyiv.