WASHINGTON — Long before this month's throttling of Ukraine's military access to Elon Musk's satellite system, both the Biden and Trump administrations repeatedly asked SpaceX to switch its Starlink service on or off in different countries, Reuters reported on Friday, citing six former senior US officials familiar with the matter.
Source: Reuters
According to four of the former officials, requests under President Joe Biden included switching the service off so that Iranian proxy militias in Yemen and Lebanon could not use Starlink to communicate, and switching it on to provide internet access inside Iran and in Ukraine in support of its military.
A former senior Trump official and a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that President Donald Trump's administration similarly asked Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX, to make the service available in Iran after US-Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026, hoping it would help anti-government protesters communicate. All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity, and Reuters said the earlier US requests are being reported for the first time.
Why it matters for Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink, had been intentionally limited, interfering with the performance of Ukraine's military drones, and that speeds on Starlink itself — which Ukraine uses for activities including defence against Russian missile attacks — had also been reduced. Reuters has reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House; the Trump administration has acknowledged the slowdown but has not said whether it gave the order.
Musk said in a social media post this week that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government and that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately by the president. SpaceX did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Halyna Yusypiuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, said Ukraine's priority is to have the service restored to normal speed as soon as possible, adding that people's lives depend on it.
The disclosures have rattled officials in Europe, some of whom argue Europe must develop its own military satellite communications because no viable short-term alternative exists, Reuters reported. Democratic Representative Jason Crow on Friday called for clarity about the recent changes, saying unelected billionaires and private corporations should not decide what is in the best interest of America's national security — a quote reported by Reuters.
Starlink has become the lifeblood of frontline communication for Ukrainian units, and Starshield receivers are used as onboard guidance systems and remote-pilot links for Ukrainian drones, including deep behind Russian lines, according to Reuters. BBC News has separately reported that Ukraine says Starlink speeds are still restricted, while President Trump has said that if there is a problem he will get it straightened out.
Source: BBC News