WASHINGTON — President Trump called Elon Musk on Wednesday to ask him to fully reverse any limits on crucial internet services to Ukraine’s military — following a week of mystery and conflicting reports about what slowed US-provided battlefield connections.
Trump’s outreach to Musk was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed to The Post by a White House official.
“The bottom line: he put it back,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday afternoon.
The president asked Musk, whose company SpaceX operates the system, to reverse any changes that may have slowed Starshield, a military version of Starlink, impeding Ukraine’s war drones and communications.
Trump, who has been railing against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has denied ordering a slowdown.
Several reports have offered conflicting explanations. Reuters cited sources claiming the White House requested the slowdwon. The Telegraph then said Musk approached Trump with the idea. A prior WSJ report fingered Musk.
Musk said on Oct. 14 that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
Administration sources told The Post there was continued uncertainty about what happened, with one theory being that Ukraine may have experienced slowdowns due to using Starlink, a consumer product, instead of Starshield for some applications, though no evidence to prove that speculation has been provided.
Trump has been upset with Zelensky over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries, which the president has blamed for rising diesel fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, rather than faulting his own war with Iran.
The Starshield system has improved since Trump’s call to Musk, though it is not yet at full functionality, the Journal reports.
