According to Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State Mark Molou said on Wednesday that the decision regarding whether Ukraine can use Starlink services should be made by SpaceX and Elon Musk, rather than by the White House. This statement suggests that Musk may have limited Kiev's access to these services.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Musk had ordered to reduce the operating speed of a certain military version of the Starlink system. Ukraine relies on this system to defend against missile attacks from Russia.
According to a source cited by The Wall Street Journal, before implementing the speed limits, Musk, U.S. President Donald Trump, and White House officials discussed this matter. Two additional sources said that within a few days after the speed limits were implemented, Musk and Trump also discussed it.
Ruobió stated to reporters during his visit to India, "To my knowledge, we were not made aware of this decision beforehand. But it is irrelevant."
He continued, “Ultimately, it depends on a private commercial contract. The contract specifies how their equipment can be used and at what speeds these devices are allowed to operate.”
Musk and SpaceX did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Reuters previously quoted two American officials and a Western official who said that the decision to restrict Starshield services came from the White House. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky also made the same claim, but the Trump administration denied it.
Lubio's remarks likely exacerbate the concerns among Washington officials regarding Musk's ability to influence U.S. foreign policy. These statements also seem to indicate a change in the stance of the Trump administration on this issue.
Trump has previously publicly stated that he and Musk are not behind the decision to impose these speed limits.
