Trump Personally Called Musk to Restore Ukraine Starlink Access After Military-Grade System Was Throttled

President Donald Trump called Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine's Starlink service, according to the Wall Street Journal, and the military-grade Starshield system appeared to be operating more normally on Thursday shortly after that call.

The intervention came after Musk had ordered the slowdown of Starshield, the military version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on for drone operations and air defense coordination. Ukrainian officials said the restrictions had disrupted strike operations and hampered air defenses, with some claiming Russian missiles had evaded interception as a result. The decision blindsided Ukrainian forces and triggered confusion within the Trump administration.

The episode unfolded against a backdrop of severe strain in U.S.-Ukraine relations. Musk and Trump had both recently criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the disruption came days after tensions escalated over sanctions policy. Musk had said publicly that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," while Trump separately denied ordering the slowdown, saying "I don't know who did it, but I was not involved." The WSJ reported, however, that Musk and Trump discussed the slowdown decision before it was implemented.