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Elon Musk ordered SpaceX to limit the speed of Starlink satellite internet used by Ukraine's military, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The limits, imposed last week, reportedly crippled attack and interception drones, while U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said service was not cut off.

Speed limits imposed last week

People with knowledge of the matter told the Wall Street Journal that Musk, who owns SpaceX, directed the company to slow down its Starlink satellite system in Ukraine.

The sources said Musk capped the speeds at which Ukrainian-made hardware could stay connected to the satellite network, and that the move left some attack and interception drones almost useless.

Contact between Musk and Trump

Two of the sources said Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call about the decision shortly after the slowdown became public. A third source said the two had discussed the issue before the speed was reduced.

The people told the paper that SpaceX representatives called their contacts at the White House to push for a shared understanding and message that the company and the Trump administration had worked in coordination before Musk's instruction. They also said Musk spoke with Trump and several other senior officials before applying the cap.

Trump and Musk reject the claims

Trump had said in an earlier statement that reports claiming an order to cut or slow the Starlink internet provided to Ukraine's military were not true.

Musk said the military version of the Starlink system, known as StarShield, is entirely controlled by the U.S. government and that any limits on speed or use are ultimately set by the U.S. president.

Zelenskiy says use has been limited

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Starlink had not been shut down entirely in Ukraine, but that speed restrictions had limited some military and humanitarian uses. Speaking at an EU leaders summit in Brussels, Zelenskiy said the White House had sent signals that the service would be fully restored.

Kyiv reports a cap on StarShield

Sergiy Beskrestnov, Zelenskiy's adviser on defense technology development, said the Starlink system had imposed a limit on the operating speed of the "military package" internet service used by Ukraine's armed forces.

Beskrestnov said the restriction applied to the military package of the StarShield service. "Our defense forces were not informed about this limit, and it disrupted a number of missions," Beskrestnov said. "This is clearly no coincidence and is related to the current political situation."

Key takeaways

• The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered SpaceX to slow Starlink in Ukraine, citing people familiar with the matter.
• The limits, imposed last week, reportedly made some attack and interception drones almost useless.
• Musk and Trump discussed the decision by phone shortly after the slowdown became public, according to two sources.
• Zelenskiy said Starlink was not fully shut down but speed restrictions limited some military and humanitarian use.