The speed cap imposed on Ukraine limited drones using the Starshield system to around 160kmph, making it virtually impossible to intercept Russia’s barrages of jet-powered drones and missiles, which travel double the speed.
On Friday, Mr Zelensky said signals were being restored. He said: “Our defence ministry is in touch and my partners, they told me that there were signals from the White House that they would return these capabilities. Have they returned to the previous speed limits? No. But is it coming back now? Yes.”
It is not the first time Mr Musk has been accused of limiting the use of his Starlink platform to the detriment of Ukraine.
In 2023, he confirmed he had rebutted requests by Kyiv to use the system in drone attacks on Crimea, the peninsula illegally annexed by Russia, to avoid being complicit in a “major act of war”.
However, Mr Musk was lauded by Ukrainians earlier this year for his direct role in blocking illegal access to Starlink by Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
‘We are watching you’
A source told The Telegraph that Poland had been leading warnings against Europe becoming too reliant on Mr Musk or his SpaceX company.
Writing on social media, Radek Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, warned the tech billionaire: “As your European customers, we are watching you.”
The EU is planning to have its Iris2, a Starlink replacement, operational by 2030. Mr Zelensky arrived in Brussels bruised and seeking more support from his European allies after his war of words with Mr Trump.
Diplomats said leaders had advised the Ukrainian president to tone down his criticism of his US counterpart amid fears Washington could further withdraw its support for Kyiv.
Mr Trump has been highly critical of Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s oil refineries, blaming them for soaring energy prices before the midterm elections next month.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
