Bessent disputed Ukraine's claim that US restrictions affected moving satellite terminals.
Why it matters: Ukraine says the reported mobility limit disrupted some drone and supply missions. The dispute also highlights uncertainty over whether the affected systems were Starlink, Starshield or both.
- Scott Bessent said Donald Trump and Marco Rubio denied restricting Ukraine's satellite service.
- Ukrainian officials reported a roughly 100-mph limit on moving military terminals beginning October 13-14.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy said October 17 that access remained partly restricted, affecting drone and supply missions.
- Elon Musk said Starshield limits are decided by the US military and ultimately the president.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be “very careful” about alleging that the United States is throttling Starlink access in Ukraine, according to CNBC.
Bessent said President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio categorically denied that the administration restricted Ukraine's service. Trump said on October 16 that the White House had not impeded Ukraine's satellite system, CNBC reported.
Ukrainian officials reported that restrictions began overnight on October 13-14 and affected terminals while they were moving. Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov described a roughly 100-mile-per-hour, or 160-kilometer-per-hour, limit for the military service package, according to The Associated Press.
That account describes a mobility-speed threshold for moving terminals. It does not, by itself, establish a bandwidth cap or a reduction in the satellite service's data speed.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said it was contacting the United States, NATO and SpaceX over the reported restrictions, Ukrainska Pravda reported. Zelenskyy said October 17 that access had not been fully restored and that the restrictions affected drones used to intercept Russian attacks and deliver supplies, according to Axios.
Starlink and Starshield are related but distinct. Starlink is SpaceX's commercial satellite service, while Musk has described Starshield as a US government-controlled military system. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk said in an X post.
The linked reports do not identify a public US order or Pentagon directive authorizing the reported October restriction. They also do not resolve whether the affected terminals were using Starlink, Starshield or both.
By the numbers
- 100 mph - mobility-speed limit that Ukrainian officials reported for moving military terminals
- 160 km/h - metric equivalent of the reported terminal mobility limit
- October 13-14 - overnight period when Ukrainian officials said restrictions began
Yes, but: The reported 100-mph threshold concerns terminal movement, not necessarily bandwidth or service performance. The available reports also do not establish which system was affected or who authorized the restriction.