Trump called Musk to lift Starlink restrictions on Ukraine, WSJ reports
Photo: Donald Trump and Elon Musk (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump approached SpaceX founder Elon Musk and demanded that he lift restrictions on the military version of Starlink in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the outlet, on Thursday, immediately after the phone call, the system began operating as usual.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that terminal speeds had increased, although full functionality has not yet been restored.
Trump expressed dissatisfaction that speed restrictions had reduced the effectiveness of Ukrainian drones and interceptors in countering Russian attacks.
According to US officials, the politician repeatedly stated this week that he intended to completely remove all limits on communications along the front line.
Lifting the restrictions will significantly enhance Ukraine's ability to strike targets deep behind enemy lines and also help expand the use of jet-powered interceptors, said Michael Kofman, a war expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Kofman added that initial checks by Ukrainian units had confirmed that the system's performance had stabilized.
Meanwhile, SpaceX, Elon Musk, and the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington declined to comment by the time of publication.
The White House advised referring to Trump's statements, who had previously denied being involved in imposing Starlink speed restrictions.
Earlier, it was reported that speed restrictions on Starlink terminals on the front lines in Ukraine had likely been lifted, and Ukrainian drone operators were already conducting tests.
In addition, 23 US lawmakers wrote a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to pressure Elon Musk to give Ukraine full access to Starlink systems for strikes against Russian targets.
