Musk denies Starshield role in Ukraine service disruption

Elon Musk denied responsibility for limiting Ukraine's access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink, stating the system is controlled by the U.S. government and restrictions are decided by the military and President Trump. Ukraine lost critical access to Starshield, disrupting drone attacks and air defense operations, though service was reportedly restored. This followed Trump calling on Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries and suggesting President Zelensky should be replaced. Zelensky told the Financial Times he is done with Trump's energy ceasefire and Ukraine will resume refinery strikes, noting the Starshield disruption was "not a technical problem. It was the will."

Analysts speculated that Trump and Musk coordinated the shutdown to pressure Zelensky into surrender terms proposed by James Kushner and Steve Witkoff, which critics argue would allow Putin to rearm and potentially invade Finland or Poland. Scott Galloway argued that the disruption was a deliberate geopolitical move by Trump and Musk to force Zelensky to surrender, describing it as a dangerous example of a private individual influencing national security strategy.