US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Washington was discussing Ukraine’s request for access to Starshield, a military satellite communications system. He stressed that Kyiv did not currently have access to the service.
"It’s not at this moment available to Ukraine, and that’s under conversation," Rubio told reporters in Istanbul, distinguishing Starshield from Starlink, a commercial satellite internet service.
"Starshield is a contract with the US military. It has nothing to do with Ukraine," Rubio said. He added that Kyiv had requested access to the system to conduct deep strikes inside Russia.
"It’s under discussion right now of how they would want to use it," he said.
Rubio rejected allegations that reported disruptions to Starlink services in Ukraine on Wednesday were deliberate, dismissing claims made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Well, I don’t know what Zelenskyy said. I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t deliberate. We have nothing to do with that," Rubio said.
Ukrainian officials reported that restrictions on US-made Starlink terminals had slowed some drones on the battlefield. Zelenskyy also said Kyiv had not received usual advance warnings from Western partners about Russian ballistic missile strikes targeting the capital.
Rubio said the US had not ordered Starlink speeds to be reduced and noted the service had been restored to its previous level.
"No one at the White House ordered anyone to slow down internet or slow down speed so that certain drones couldn’t use it," he said, calling the reports categorically false.
US President Donald Trump on Friday denied ordering a temporary disruption of Starlink service for Ukraine’s military. Asked whether he or Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Starlink, had decided to suspend access, Trump told reporters at the White House that it was neither of them.
"From what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been," Trump added.
