Zelenskyy questions SpaceX explanation for satellite limits affecting Ukrainian drones

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused SpaceX of giving an untruthful account of problems affecting Ukraine’s Starshield satellite system, saying apparent speed restrictions on drones looked political rather than technical. Speaking on Friday at the presidential palace in Kyiv, he said connections were being lost whenever Ukrainian drones exceeded 161km/h, or 100mph.

Zelenskyy told the Guardian and other journalists that the problem had persisted for five days, preventing Ukraine from intercepting incoming jet-powered Russian Shahed drones. Ukrainian operations to strike military targets at medium range in Russian-occupied territory had also been severely disrupted, he said. He had instructed military leaders to take the matter up with Elon Musk’s company, the Pentagon and the US state department.

According to Zelenskyy, SpaceX told Ukraine’s defence ministry it had imposed no restrictions and attributed the difficulties to a technical issue. He challenged that explanation, saying repeated daily tests in different directions had revealed the same problem throughout the frontline. Further checks might be needed, he acknowledged, but the failures were widespread rather than isolated.

Ukraine suspects the slowdown is an intentional US effort to push Zelenskyy towards concessions to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Similar difficulties occurred last month, and the latest problems coincided with US-mediated discussions between Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi last week. The Kremlin continues to demand that Ukraine surrender the whole of the eastern Donbas region.

Zelenskyy rejected handing over additional territory. He said US negotiators Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and property developer Steve Witkoff had asked whether Ukraine would relinquish the Donbas in return for Nato membership or comparable security guarantees. The proposal remained unclear and did not appear to include American peacekeepers, he said. Ending the war would require a ceasefire supported by substantive security commitments from western partners, he added.

The president also rejected Putin’s proposed humanitarian mission in Kostiantynivka, describing it as an attempt to secure Ukrainian withdrawal and allow Russian forces to occupy the city. Russia has proposed a five-day ceasefire based on last month’s truce in occupied Oleshky, where civilians were evacuated. Zelenskyy said civilians had already left Kostiantynivka and that intense street fighting was causing heavy Russian losses.

Zelenskyy said Putin had refused his suggestion to extend the Oleshky approach to other Russian-occupied settlements along the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine. He argued that Russia’s objective was to capture Kostiantynivka along with the Ukrainian garrison cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. He also expressed concern about renewed discussion of Europe’s security arrangements, an issue raised by the Trump administration last week.

The Kremlin wants Nato restored to its configuration before 1997, before eastern European countries including the Baltic states entered the alliance. Zelenskyy said the renewed demand, first made by Putin in 2021 before the full-scale invasion, reflected imperial ambitions after almost five years of war. He warned that Putin wanted to alter Europe’s borders.

Zelenskyy said recent talks with European leaders who gathered in Dublin had produced commitments including Danish ammunition for F-16 aircraft used against Russian drones and energy assistance for Kyiv and other cities. He accused Russia of staking its efforts on a winter campaign, following intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities intended to force civilians to capitulate. Congress could press Putin to reduce hostilities through sanctions legislation and weapons supplies to Ukraine, he said.