Elon Musk’s attempt to wash his hands of a decision Ukraine says proved deadly blew up in his face after a new report tied him to it, and critics wasted no time pouncing.
The Telegraph reported Friday that Musk brought President Donald Trump the idea of slowing Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, citing four sources familiar with the discussion. One source said Trump “agreed,” after which the Pentagon capped the system’s speed, crippling Ukraine’s drone defenses.
The report came two days after Musk publicly pinned the blame on Trump. Replying on X Wednesday, the SpaceX chief insisted, “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
However, a senior source told The Telegraph, “The reality is that they were both in it,” and critics didn’t hold back when The Telegraph’s diplomatic editor Joe Barnes shared the scoop on X.
“They both lied. Ukrainians died,” the progressive MeidasTouch Network reacted on X.
Vatnik Soup, an anti-disinformation account, argued the story played out “exactly as people imagined,” adding that “fear of losing business in Europe” drove Musk’s quick reversal.
“The decisions of these two small, greedy men may have cost many Ukrainian soldiers and civilians their lives,” Vatnik Soup wrote. “An absolute disgrace.”
British-Lebanese journalist Oz Katerji charged that Musk and Trump “decided to punish Zelenskyy by throttling Starshield because of domestic US fuel prices.”
“That didn’t bother Musk though, the only thing he cared about was his profit margin,” Katerji added.
Writer Richard Hanania asked if Musk and Trump “were working together to help Putin because they thought it’d be good for Republicans in the midterms.”
“These people are more evil than you thought,” he concluded.
Electrek editor-in-chief Fred Lambert quipped, “At this point, there’s simply no difference between Trump and Musk. Might as well be the same person.”
Veteran political reporter Jamie Dupree observed that “the Sgt. Schultz response (‘I know nothing’) seems to be wearing off,” referring to the “Hogan’s Heroes” character. Dupree added that if the report holds up, it “would not be a surprise to anyone.”
Trump, for his part, told reporters at the White House Friday evening that he didn’t think either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access, and a senior U.S. official told Reuters that “no such request was ever made by the president.” The Telegraph said it had approached SpaceX for comment, and the Pentagon has yet to publicly explain the restrictions.
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