Zelenskyy says Starshield for Ukraine not fully restored

Ukraine's military access to the Starlink satellite internet service had not yet been fully restored, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting European leaders in Brussels on Friday. At that meeting he asked the European Union for another €70bn next year to fund Ukraine's defence against Russia.

Starshield is the military version of the Starlink satellite internet network produced by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Zelenskyy called the reduction in Starlink speeds a "very dangerous and unpleasant surprise".

Zelenskyy said after the talks that Starshield had not yet returned to normal. He said it had not returned to the previous speed limits but was coming back, and that his partners told him there were signals from the White House that Starshield capabilities would be returned. The Guardian

He told leaders in Brussels that Starlink services had improved, and said on October 16 that Kyiv was working with France on other options amid reduced Starlink speeds. As of October 16, Starlink disruptions were being felt on the front lines in Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Reuters reported that the order to throttle Starshield came from inside the White House, citing two U.S. officials and a Western official briefed on the matter. The Pentagon had been informed that the SpaceX Starshield service for the Ukrainian military had to be slowed.

Military-grade Starlink receptors in Ukraine stopped working when mounted on fast-moving objects. Ukraine said Starshield restrictions hindered strike missions.

In Brussels, Zelenskyy told EU leaders the war would cost €155bn in 2027 and that Ukraine needs at least €70bn more from the EU for defence, weapons and resilience.

President Donald Trump called Ukraine's renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries "a disgrace" in comments to the Newsmax television channel. UK Defence Minister Streeting said he and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the restoration of the Starlink service in Ukraine in talks.