Elon Musk’s attempt to distance himself from a move Ukraine says put lives at risk took a major hit with a new report.
The SpaceX founder personally ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink that Ukrainian forces rely on, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter. The speed cap rendered some of Ukraine’s attack and interceptor drones close to useless, according to the report.
That account clashes with what Musk told the public. Hours after the slowdown came to light, he posted on X that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
Some U.S. officials told The Journal that Musk acted on his own and that Trump never specifically ordered any retribution against Kyiv. But one person familiar with the situation said Musk spoke with several senior Trump administration officials, including the president, before imposing the cap. Ukrainian officials said the restriction allowed Russian missiles to slip past their defenses.
Two people said Musk and Trump discussed the decision by phone shortly after it became public, while the president was on the campaign trail. One of them claimed the pair had also talked it over before the cap went into effect.
As the uproar grew, SpaceX representatives reached out to their White House counterparts hoping to settle on a shared message that the company and the Trump administration had worked together before Musk gave the order, according to the report. Trump, meanwhile, told reporters Monday that he didn’t know who was behind the slowdown, “but I would like to find out.”
The slowdown, which started Oct. 14, came just days after Trump lashed out at Ukraine over strikes on Russian diesel refineries, which he blames for high fuel prices.
Last week, The Telegraph reported that Musk had pitched the idea of slowing the service to Trump, citing four sources familiar with the talks.
Michael Kofman, a war expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the restrictions “continue to hamper Ukrainian strike operations and air defenses.” Denys Sienik, Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington, said Tuesday that Kyiv was still trying “to understand whether the connection has been restored or will be restored.”
SpaceX did not respond to The Journal’s request for comment.
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