UK defence chief in Washington urges US to stand by Ukraine after Starlink row
Wes Streeting, Britain's defence secretary, visited Washington on 15 October 2026 and urged the United States to maintain support for Ukraine after a dispute over limits on Starlink use by Ukraine's military. The Guardian
The visit was aimed at cooling tensions after the US decision on the Monday before 15 October to limit Ukrainian military use of Starlink. The change took effect without warning at about 1am, when Ukrainian soldiers reported that drone terminals stopped working at speeds greater than 100mph.
Streeting gave a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies before meeting his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth. Taking questions after the address, he acknowledged "the challenges of recent days" in reference to the Starlink row.
In the speech, Streeting said American support for Ukraine had been significant and had made a real impact on Ukraine's war effort. He argued that supporting Ukraine was in the long-term interests of Washington, including as a business opportunity around the future defence-industrial relationship. "There's rarely been a more important time for Britain and America to come together," he said.
Streeting and Hegseth were also expected to discuss the safety of US military bases in Britain. The US withdrew B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after an Iranian threat. They were expected to discuss whether Britain and the US would help Saudi Arabia after attacks from Yemen's Houthis.
The dispute has strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. On 14 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt personally betrayed by US President Donald Trump after the US appeared to throttle Starlink access for Ukraine's military. Ukrainian officials reported that the US had threatened to cut the sharing of intelligence used to detect incoming missiles if Ukraine does not abandon attacks on refineries.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met Zelenskyy in London on 14 October and said Britain would stand by Ukraine. Burnham said he would help facilitate reconciliation between Zelenskyy and Trump, according to a live update. The Guardian
