Trump Says Musk Fully Restored Ukraine's Starlink Access, but a European Official Disputes It

US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had fully restored Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite communications network. Restrictions on the military-grade Starshield service had hampered Ukraine's attack missions and air defence. A senior European official, however, told the Associated Press that nothing has changed in how Starshield operates.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had phoned Musk and asked him to lift the limits. Trump appeared to confirm the service had been down, but said it was now running at optimal speeds again. He added that it makes no difference whether he or someone else called, and that Musk had put it back.

A dispute over responsibility

The question of who ordered the interruptions, which pushed relations between Kyiv and Washington to a new low, has set off a blame game within the Trump administration and among its allies. Trump denies involvement in the slowdown decision. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said decisions on Ukraine's Starlink access rest with SpaceX and Musk, not the White House. Last week Musk wrote on X that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, and that any speed or usage limits are set by the US military and ultimately the president. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, before Trump's latest remarks, that Starlink had not been fully restored.

Russian attacks

Russia struck Kyiv overnight with ballistic missiles, after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss resuming peace talks. According to Zelenskyy, the attacks hit 12 regions of Ukraine, killing at least four people and wounding dozens, including five children. Two women, aged 50 and 60, died when a Russian strike hit a market in Lozova, in the Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration. One more person was killed in other strikes on Kharkiv.

Downing Street rejected Witkoff's description of Putin as a "humanitarian". Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Witkoff of flattering Putin.

European reaction

Nato member Denmark said it will buy its first long-range precision missiles, drawing condemnation from Moscow. Romania will speed up the development of surveillance capabilities and equipment against mines and drones in the Black Sea after drone attacks on commercial ships. At least seven cargo ships have been hit near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria in the past two weeks, with 30 sailors dead or missing. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in Kyiv that no deals to buy Russian gas should be made while the war continues.