ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that problems with the Ukrainian military’s Starlink satellite service persisted Friday, just days after Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. negotiators met for trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi — indicating that the latest diplomatic rift between Washington and Kyiv is far from over.
“Unfortunately, along the entire front line and in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, the speed limit for our forces remains at 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), which makes it impossible, among other things, to use interceptors against jet-powered ‘Shahed’ drones,” Zelensky wrote in a post on social media. “There are still no clear explanations.”
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the speed limit was imposed on occupied Ukrainian territory — where Ukraine carries out midrange strikes against Russian forces using drones connected to Starlink — but not on the territory that is controlled by Ukraine. The ministry said Friday that it had reached out to SpaceX and the U.S. Defense Department to seek an explanation and resolve the situation.
A commander from the Lazar’s Group battalion leading midrange strikes from Ukraine’s southern front confirmed to The Washington Post that his unit had been impacted by the speed restrictions, which apparently resurfaced Thursday after initial disruptions began last month.
U.S. senators have called for an investigation into the Trump administration and Elon Musk, who owns Starlink parent company SpaceX, over the restrictions in Ukraine.
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