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

Recent efforts to throttle Ukraine’s access to satellite systems have created a blame game of sorts among Trump administration officials and their allies, who have offered mixed messages about what led to the sudden restrictions on Kyiv's ability to intercept Russian strikes.

The limitations placed on Starshield — SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service and the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communication — last week alarmed the country's military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions. After days of handwringing, President Donald Trump asserted Thursday that the service is running again at full speed.

However, a senior European official familiar with the situation on the ground in Ukraine said Thursday that nothing has changed in the operation of Starshield, with its speed cap still set at about 100 mph (160 kph). Ukraine has not received a clear official explanation of who ordered the restrictions or why, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The episode and subsequent lack of accountability have sent shock waves through Russia hawks and Ukraine's allies on Capitol Hill. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal announced a new inquiry into how the technologies were slowed down for Ukraine’s defense systems.

Questions have percolated since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Elon Musk-made satellite internet system that Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Moscow's attacks.

Trump, as recently as Thursday, has maintained that he didn’t make the call. Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement.

Musk — one of the GOP's biggest donors and a Trump ally — indicated that because Ukraine was using the military-grade version of his technology, questions about the service should be directed to the Pentagon.

Here are the players in their own words:

Over the last week, Trump has repeatedly told reporters that he didn’t order restrictions on a satellite communications system used by Ukraine’s military, causing its drones to lose speed.

The president also earlier doubted the disruption came from Musk, formerly a close adviser and frequent companion.

“Well, I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump said Friday. “And from what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been.”

On Thursday, Trump appeared to confirm that the service had been down and claimed that it was once again working at optimal speeds. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had agreed to lift restrictions, and Trump demurred when asked if he had requested to lift the cap.

“You know, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference,” Trump told reporters. “I guess the bottom line, he put it back.”

In Cincinnati on Thursday, Vance was asked about Musk’s involvement in the slowdown of Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine and whether it warranted an investigation.

“I think that fundamentally, Elon Musk runs a private corporation,” Vance told reporters. “And I think it’s completely understandable that he doesn’t want to get in the middle of what is a war between two state actors without the United States government effectively directing him on what to do.”

Vance continued: “So I don’t think this is about Elon. I think it’s fundamentally what is America’s policy in Ukraine and Russia going to be.”

Rubio has insisted that the Trump administration and the U.S. government more broadly had nothing to do with interruptions to Ukraine’s access to crucial satellite data.

Speaking to reporters in India on Wednesday, Rubio said for the third time in four days that any throttling of network access to Ukraine was not directed or ordered by Trump or anyone else in his administration. He suggested, though, that the owner of the system — Musk — may have been involved.

“What I can tell you with certainty is the president of the United States nor anyone in our system ever requested that any changes to that system be made, and that’s what we said repeatedly,” Rubio said. “The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk. That’s a private company. The president doesn’t run that company and can’t direct that company to do anything.”

Hegseth has echoed Rubio's comments, denying on Tuesday any American role in slowing down the satellite internet service while also pushing the responsibility to Musk's company.

“We haven’t pulled anything back,” Hegseth told reporters, before adding that “there are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to.”

He offered no elaboration on what terms of service Ukraine needed to comply with but said that “Starlink has the option to make those decisions.”

Musk, the world's richest man and leader of the company behind Starlink and Starshield, last week put the onus on the Trump administration.

“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,” he wrote Oct. 14 on X.

“Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company,” Musk added.

The wartime president has been working to reverse the restrictions imposed without warning last week.

Shortly after the systems failed to work, Zelenskyy said that there were no similar restrictions in European Union countries and that they apply only to Ukraine. “In other words, this is a planned operation,” he said.

Zelenskyy spoke to a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers Monday, saying in a video of the briefing posted to social media that “we still face speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield services in different parts of the front, and we still have no explanation for this. Just different strange stories.”

In an interview Wednesday on “Fox & Friends," Zelenskyy said that Starlink connectivity is still limited in Ukraine and that he was told by Rubio he would work to “unblock” the slowdown.

Amiri reported from New York and Arhirova from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani, Seung Min Kim, Konstantin Toropin, Matthew Lee and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to speak with members of the media at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (Kylie Cooper/Pool Photo via AP)

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the T. Ed Garrison Arena, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Pendleton, S.C. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answers media questions before his meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

GQEBERHA, South Africa (AP) — South Africa set up a series decider with a comeback innings victory over Australia on the last day of the second cricket test at St. George's Park.

Despite the morning session being a washout Thursday, and without injured frontline bowler Anrich Nortje, South Africa dismissed Australia for 295 in its second innings an hour after the tea interval to complete a win by an innings and 31 runs.

After losing the opener in Durban by 214 runs, South Africa tied the series 1-1 and set up a deciding third test in Cape Town from Tuesday between the leaders in the World Test Championship.

“A long way from our best. A reverse of last week,” Australia skipper Pat Cummins said.

South Africa, which beat the then defending champion Australia in the last WTC final, lost the toss here and was struggling at 110-6 but rallied to declare its first innings at 425-9 late on Day 3 after captain Temba Bavuma's career-best 179 and Marco Jansen's rapid 85.

The Proteas' attack then shot out Australia for 99, with Jansen's 5-33, and enforced the follow-on. There were a total of 13 wickets to fall on Wednesday but it came at a cost for the South Africans, with Nortje sustaining a groin injury in his fourth over that meant he couldn't bowl for the remainder of the match.

Australia resumed on Day 5 at 156-4 and hoped for a reduced 81 overs of rearguard action with Steve Smith and Alex Carey in reserve, but unraveled once opener Travis Head was dismissed.

“We tried to stay in the moment despite the rain delays,” across the five days, Bavuma said. “When we were batting it was all about how we could extend the innings, keep (the Australia bowlers) on their feet because that has an affect. With the ball, we were as ruthless as we could be.

“Our team goes about playing good old test cricket — wear down the opposition and then take them down when the opportunity presents itself.”

Wiaan Mulder rebounded from a wicketless and expensive second innings on Wednesday by taking three of the six wickets South Africa needed on the last day.

Head, on 87 overnight, posted his 13th test century off 151 balls. But his natural positive intent undid him on 121 when he chopped on against Mulder. Head faced 190 balls.

Smith went in at No. 7, three places lower than usual because of a muscle injury to his neck. Mulder tested Smith's neck with a first-ball bouncer.

Smith endured the last five overs of the old ball but was out for 3 in the third over with the new ball when he mis-hit pacer Kagiso Rabada to Matthew Breetzke, bobbled the ball at midwicket but took it at the second attempt.

Boland passed his previous highest test score of 21 when he reached tea on 40 with Alex Carey.

But Boland was the seventh Australian out soon after tea when he was bowled by Mulder after facing 166 balls.

“There was some good fight today,” Cummins said. “Boland and Trav played their roles. But (99) was a fair way to come back from.”

Jansen finished the match when he had Josh Hazlewood caught at slip, leaving Carey on 37 not out.

Rabada, returning from a hamstring injury, took 4-77 — he and Jansen finished with six wickets each in the match.

See AP’s full cricket coverage here

South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma celebrates as teammate Wiaan Mulder bowled out Australia's Scott Boland on day five of the second cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Gqeberha, South Africa, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa's Wiaan Mulder, center, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Australia's captain Pat Cummins on day five of the second cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Gqeberha, South Africa, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa's Kagiso Rabada bowls during day five of the second cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Gqeberha, South Africa, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, left, celebrates the wicket of Australia's Mitchell Starc, right, on day five of the second cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Gqeberha, South Africa, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma, center right, celebrates with teammates after winning the second cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Gqeberha, South Africa, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)