Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield Speeds Restored After More Than a Week of Restrictions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, October 24, that the country's access to the Starlink and Starshield satellite communication links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions were imposed. Those restrictions had disrupted Ukrainian front-line operations for more than a week during the war with Russia.

"The speeds are now where they need to be," Zelenskyy wrote on X. He said restoration began overnight and was sufficient by Saturday morning. According to him, it improves logistics at the front and defense against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.

A new U.S. diplomatic push

The restoration comes after a new U.S. diplomatic effort to end the war. On Wednesday, Russia agreed to resume three-way negotiations with Washington and Kyiv next month. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow also agreed to a localized ceasefire around Oleshky, a war-ravaged town in the southern Kherson region of Ukraine that is occupied by Russia. U.S. first lady Melania Trump brokered the ceasefire.

The programme guest

France 24 discussed the developments with Oleksandr Merezhko, a Servant of the People party MP who chairs the Ukrainian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. The programme's headline carries the view that Witkoff should step down, but the source does not set out that demand in more detail.