# Trump asked Musk to lift Starlink restrictions in Ukraine, WSJ reports

- URL: https://syn.by/en/politics/international-relations/trump-asked-musk-to-lift-starlink-restrictions/
- Published: 2026-10-23T13:15:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-25T20:20:10+00:00
- Section: International Relations
- Language: en
- RU edition: https://syn.by/ru/politika/mezhdunarodnye-otnosheniya/tramp-poprosil-maska-snyat-ogranichyeniya-starlink.md
- BE edition: https://syn.by/palityka/mizhnarodnyya-adnosiny/tramp-paprasiu-maska-zniac-abmiezhavanni-starlink.md

> According to The Wall Street Journal, after the call the military version of the system began working more or less normally. Trump declined to confirm that it was he who made the call.

![Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Volodymyr Zelenskyy — Trump asked Musk to lift Starlink restrictions in Ukraine, WSJ reports](https://syn.by/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/donald-trump-elon-musk-volodymyr-zelenskyy-2594-1024x585.webp)

US President Donald Trump called SpaceX owner Elon Musk and asked him to lift the restrictions on Starlink's operation in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. According to the paper's interlocutors, on Thursday, shortly after the conversation, the Starlink military package apparently began working "more or less normally."

Trump himself presented the picture differently. According to pro-Russian outlets, he said that Musk had lifted the speed restrictions, but did not say whether he had contacted the billionaire personally, and noted that he maintains an excellent relationship with him. This statement contradicts the Wall Street Journal's version, under which the restriction was imposed by the American side and is being lifted at the president's request.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump expressed displeasure to Musk about the speed limit. In addition, this week he told aides that he wanted to cancel the restrictions on the system's operation in Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian outlet [1news.com.ua](https://1news.com.ua/svit/tramp-zvernuvsya-do-maska-cherez-problemy-zi-shvydkistyu-starlink-v-ukrayini-povidomlyaye-wsj.html), citing officials, the conversation took place on October 21, and the next day the system began to work better, although full functionality was not restored. On Thursday Trump declined to say whether it was he who called Musk, and said: "It doesn't matter whether I called or someone else did" (translation).

Some of the paper's Ukrainian sources claim that the system was not restored to full working order but ran faster than under the restrictions introduced earlier. Officials said Trump told Musk he was frustrated by the limit of 100 miles per hour, that is, 161 km/h. According to these accounts, Ukrainian troops need the system, among other things, to defend against Russian drones.

The Russian outlet Izvestia recalls that the day before there were reports of Musk's order to limit the speed of the military version of Starlink. According to The New York Times' calculations of October 21, because of the restrictions the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost dozens of drones worth at least 1000000 dollars in total.

Ukrainian military personnel reported that on the night of October 14 they encountered restricted access to Starshield, the military version of the American satellite communications system.

Earlier the founder of SpaceX said that Starshield systems belong to and are controlled by the US government, and that restrictions on speed or modes of use are set by the American military department and ultimately by the country's president. In Moscow, according to Dmitry Peskov, they know nothing about restrictions on satellite communications in Ukraine.

Judging by Musk's public statements, he believes that commercial products are being used for offensive operations, which in his view contradicts the law.

[The speed limit on Starlink terminals in motion](https://syn.by/en/technology/spacex-has-limited-the-speed-of-starlink-military-terminals-in-ukraine-says-adviser-to-ukraines-president/) applies to the Starshield "military package" and is set at 100 miles (160 km) per hour.

In the opinion of the Ukrainian outlet [uatv.ua](https://uatv.ua/tehnologiya-bez-alternativy-ili-ugroza-natsionalnoj-bezopasnosti-ukrainy-eksperty-ob-ispolzovanii-starlink-v-vojne/), it could have affected not only the Ukrainian Armed Forces' combat tasks but also the defence of the sky against Russian jet-powered Shaheds. Military expert Michael Kofman said: "Lifting the restriction will significantly expand Ukraine's strike capabilities and allow it to increase the deployment of jet drone interceptors." According to him, Ukrainian units reported that preliminary tests show more stable operation of the system.

In February 2026 it was reported that Ukraine had taken measures against Russian use of Starlink: at speeds above 90 km/h the signal was blocked. In March 2026 experts called Starlink a key element of military communications.