Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of the military-grade satellite communications system Ukraine relies on to defend itself against Russian attacks. Now Secretary of State Marco Rubio is pointing the finger at Musk himself, insisting that decisions about Ukraine’s access to Starlink belong to his company SpaceX — not the Trump administration.
The controversy is raising fresh questions about Musk’s influence over U.S. foreign policy, the Trump administration’s involvement in the decision, and whether a billionaire’s private business can suddenly disrupt a country’s ability to defend itself in the middle of a war.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk ordered the slowdown last week, limiting connection speeds for Ukrainian military hardware. The move reportedly left some offensive drones and interceptor drones virtually useless, triggering alarm in Kyiv and confusion inside the Trump administration.
Musk and President Donald Trump have both expressed anger over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian diesel refineries in recent weeks. Trump has blamed those attacks for contributing to high energy prices.
But while the administration has tried to portray the Starlink restrictions as a commercial decision, other officials have offered a different account of who was responsible.
Rubio says the decision was Musk’s to make.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday during a trip to India, Rubio said the decision about how Ukraine could access the satellite network was ultimately up to SpaceX.
That position could put Musk squarely in the spotlight.
But there is a significant problem with the administration’s explanation.
Reuters has cited two U.S. officials and a Western official briefed on the matter who said the decision ultimately came from the White House. Zelenskyy has also asserted that the restrictions were ordered by the U.S. administration.
The White House, however, has denied ordering the slowdown.
“I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t deliberate,” Rubio said on Saturday.
He added: “We have nothing to do with that. I don’t — the United States, nobody ordered that Starlink speed to be slowed down.
Rubio’s latest remarks shift the emphasis toward SpaceX’s authority over its network, even as competing accounts continue to raise questions about the administration’s role.
Starlink has become an important communications lifeline for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s full-scale invasion. The satellite network helps Ukrainian forces maintain connectivity in areas where conventional communications infrastructure is unavailable, damaged or unreliable.
The reported slowdown affected military hardware that depends on satellite connectivity, including some drones used to attack Russian targets and interceptor drones used to counter incoming threats.
A decision to restrict connectivity can have immediate consequences on a battlefield, particularly when military units depend on the affected system for communications and drone operations.
The controversy also highlights Ukraine’s dependence on technology controlled by a private American company whose founder has developed a close relationship with Trump.
If access can be restricted through a corporate decision, Ukraine’s military faces a vulnerability that goes beyond Russian attacks.
Neither Musk nor SpaceX responded to requests for comment.
