Rubio: Ukraine Without Starshield Access, Request Under Discussion

Ukraine does not have access to Starshield at this moment, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Saturday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The exchange was published by the U.S. Department of State as "Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press".

Rubio said Ukraine has requested access to Starshield in order to conduct deep strikes inside Russia. He said the request remains under discussion and under conversation, according to the published account. Al Jazeera

Rubio distinguished between the two SpaceX systems at issue. He described Starlink as a commercial product and Starshield as a defence product. He said Starshield is a contract with the U.S. military and has nothing to do with Ukraine. U.S. Department of State

Addressing reports about slower Starlink service, Rubio said no one at the White House ordered Starlink internet speeds to be slowed. He described reports of a deliberate slowdown as categorically false. He added that Starlink service in Ukraine had reportedly been restored to its previous level. Al Jazeera

The remarks follow earlier accounts of restrictions and service problems. Citing officials, Reuters reported that the White House had issued an order to limit the SpaceX Starshield satellite system used by Ukraine for battlefield purposes. Citing sources, Reuters reported that the order to limit Starshield for Ukraine came from inside the White House. Reuters Reuters also reported that Starlink disruptions are being felt on the front lines in Ukraine. Reuters

SpaceX states that Starshield is designed for government use. The company says the system launches satellites with sensing payloads and delivers processed data directly to the user. SpaceX