Trump administration offers mixed messages on limits to Ukraine’s Starshield access

The AP reports that last week's limits on Starshield, SpaceX's military-grade version of Starlink and "the backbone of Ukraine's drone operations,"alarmed officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions[1].According to the AP, Trump asserted Thursday that the service is again running at full speed[1]. CNN quotes Trump as saying: "Whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn't make any difference, I guess. The bottom line – he put it back."[2]Musk put the responsibility on Washington, writing on X, as quoted by the AP: "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS."[1]The AP reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said for the third time in four days that any throttling was not directed by Trump or anyone in his administration[1]. The Globe and Mail, carrying the AP report, says Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House co-ordination with Musk[3]. Vance told reporters, as quoted by the AP: "So I don't think this is about Elon."[1]According to the AP, President Zelenskyy said Friday that the limits on "Starlink and Starshield are still there and this has not been restored"[4]. The AP also reports that Ukraine faces the same speed cap of about 100 mph (160 kph)[4].A source told CNN that any restored access is "clearly not enough to intercept jet-powered drones" launched by Russia[2].