WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Washington was considering Ukraine’s request for access to Starshield, a military satellite communications system, while rejecting allegations that the United States deliberately disrupted Starlink services used by Ukrainian forces.
“It’s not at this moment available to Ukraine, and that’s under conversation,” Rubio said, clarifying that Starshield is separate from Starlink, the commercial satellite internet service.
Both systems are operated by SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by billionaire Elon Musk.
“Starshield is a contract with the US military. It has nothing to do with Ukraine,” Rubio said, adding that Kyiv had requested access to the system to support long-range strikes inside Russian territory.
“It’s under discussion right now of how they would want to use it,” he said.
Rubio also dismissed allegations that a disruption to Starlink services in Ukraine on Wednesday had been deliberate.
Asked about remarks attributed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rubio said: “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.”
Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that restrictions affecting US-made Starlink terminals had slowed some drones operating on the battlefield, raising concerns about the impact on military operations.
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine had not received the usual advance warning from Western partners about Russian ballistic missile strikes targeting Kyiv.
Rubio denied that the US administration had ordered any reduction in Starlink speeds, saying the service had reportedly returned to its previous performance 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, describing reports of deliberate interference as “categorically false.”
US President Donald Trump also denied Friday that he had ordered a temporary disruption of Starlink services for Ukraine’s military.
Asked whether he or Musk had decided to suspend access, Trump told reporters at the White House: “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,” Trump added.
Starlink has played an important role in maintaining battlefield communications for Ukrainian forces, while Starshield is designed to provide specialized satellite capabilities for government and military operations.
Source: Saudi Gazette