US President Donald Trump has denied ordering restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield, a military-grade satellite communications service operated by SpaceX, after network limitations reportedly disrupted Kyiv’s ability to defend against Russian attacks.

“It wasn’t me and I don’t think it was [Starlink owner] Elon [Musk],” Trump told reporters on Friday as he left the White House, adding that he was “not sure” the service had ever been taken offline.

His remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said connectivity speeds had yet to be restored. Musk, meanwhile, suggested that the US government may have been responsible for the restrictions because Starshield is managed by Washington.

Reuters reported on Thursday, citing two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter, that the order had originated inside the White House.

The reported restrictions came amid growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries and a controversial diesel deal between the United States and Russia.

Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil facilities this week after Zelensky expressed anger over the deal. The attacks followed Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire on energy infrastructure three days earlier. Kyiv said it would halt its strikes if Moscow did the same, but Russia did not confirm the proposed ceasefire and continued its attacks, according to the report.

The US had previously warned that it could withhold intelligence-sharing, which is crucial to Ukraine’s defence, if Kyiv did not stop targeting Russian oil refineries.

“If I don’t stand up to this ... who else will?” Zelensky asked European Union leaders at a summit on Friday.

Trump had also described Zelensky as “more difficult to deal with than [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” although he told reporters on Friday that he maintained a good relationship with the Ukrainian leader.

Starlink is a high-speed satellite internet service operated by SpaceX for civilian use, while Starshield is its military-focused counterpart, developed for the Pentagon.

The United States has allowed Ukraine to use both services in its defence against Russia. Musk restricted Russia’s access to Starlink in February, giving Kyiv an advantage in the conflict.

On Tuesday night, Starlink imposed a speed limit of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometres per hour), reportedly causing weapons travelling faster than that threshold to lose connectivity.

The network slowdown coincided with deadly Russian strikes on Ukraine. Communications and energy facilities used by the Ukrainian military were also hit, leaving around 600,000 people without electricity, according to the report.

A bipartisan group of US senators has called for an investigation into the disruptions, warning that the restrictions may have undermined Ukraine’s ability to defend civilian infrastructure.

“Restrictions reportedly degraded Ukraine’s ability to conduct defensive operations against Russian drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure,” the senators wrote in a letter demanding an inquiry.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Friday that European countries would not abandon Ukraine, as concerns grew over the future of US support.

Speaking at the end of a two-day EU summit in Brussels attended by Zelensky, Macron said Europe had a responsibility to maintain its support in the face of what he described as some people’s “ambiguities,” apparently referring to uncertainty over Washington’s commitment to Kyiv.

Financing Ukraine and helping it endure another winter — its fifth since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 — were among the summit’s main priorities.

Zelensky told the European Council that the war would cost €155 billion ($174 billion) next year, with at least €70 billion required from the EU for defence and weapons.

Macron said European countries were working to help Ukraine strengthen its satellite and early-warning systems, adding that Kyiv’s request for further assistance would be considered by its partners. (ILKHA)