Trump Confirms Starlink Service Restored to Ukraine After Sudden Outage

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that Elon Musk has restored Starlink satellite internet service to Ukraine, refusing to comment on a news report suggesting he personally called Musk and asked him to lift the restrictions.

Trump told journalists he did not want to comment on whether he was the one who called or someone else, emphasizing that "the fact is he turned it back on." The following day he added: "It wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon, and as far as I know it's been the way it always was."

The problem began on October 13 when Ukrainian officials announced that sudden restrictions on Starlink disrupted their military operations. While the service was restored to operation, connection quality remained intermittent according to reports.

Accounts diverged over the source of the restrictions decision: Trump denied issuing the order, while Musk attributed the decision to the government side, saying that Starshield, the military version of the service, is "owned and controlled by the U.S. government," and that "any restrictions on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. Armed Forces and ultimately the President." In contrast, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that decisions on Starlink speed and accessibility are Musk's to make under a "private commercial contract."

What went unsaid: no official party at the White House confirmed who issued the decision to impose restrictions in the first place, nor were its reasons disclosed.