Trump says Starshield is back in Ukraine; Kyiv not convinced

And now let's get you more on the Starlink saga and the drama over Ukraine's Starlink access continues. U.S. President Donald Trump says that the satellite communication system is back in Ukraine, but he was not yet convinced that service has been fully restored. And it remains actually unclear who ordered the restrictions in the first place and who authorized the rollback. Well, the Wall Street Journal reports that Trump called SpaceX chief Elon Musk and urged him to lift the restrictions. But Trump did little to confirm or deny that account. But he said Musk had restored the service. Listen to this. Well, I don't want to say, but I know it was a very interesting situation. So I don't want to comment one way or the other. But my relationship with Elon is a very good one. Go ahead. I don't want to comment on it. Whether I called or whether somebody else called doesn't make any difference. I guess the bottom line, he put it back. According to the journal, U.S. and Ukrainian officials reported that Starlink connectivity had begun returning to more normal levels shortly after reported conversation. However, the picture on the ground remains less clear. Some Ukrainian officials told the newspaper that the system was operating at higher speeds than under the restrictions, but had yet to return to full functionality. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said on Thursday that Starlink speeds had not been fully restored for Ukraine. it has not been restored to 400 kilometer per hour speed yet we are working on it i am waiting to hear from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio he promised to get back to me with information within 48 hours or so the dispute highlights how heavily Kyiv's war effort depends on a satellite network operated by Musk's SpaceX Ukraine relies on Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations, including strikes against Russian-occupied territory. Musk has previously said that any restrictions on Starlink's military use were decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon had not ordered changes to the service. Trump, too, has denied involvement in the slowdown. The latest episode comes amid worsening relations between Washington and Kiev, with Trump criticizing Zelensky and pressing Ukraine over its conduct of the war.