OMM Newsroom
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday denied government involvement in a reported slowdown of Starlink services used by Ukraine during its war with Russia, Anadolu Agency reported.
“Starlink” is a private company with contractual terms governing how its technology can be used, Rubio told reporters in Mumbai, India’s financial capital. He said the US government could not direct a private company’s decisions.
Rubio is on a three-day visit to India. He said neither the US president nor anyone in the government had requested changes to the system.
Report says Musk ordered speed cap
The denial came after “The Wall Street Journal” reported on Tuesday that “SpaceX” founder Elon Musk had ordered a slowdown of a military-grade version of “Starlink” used by Ukrainian forces.
US officials familiar with the situation told the newspaper that Musk capped the speeds of the satellite internet service used by Ukraine, leaving some of its military drones virtually useless.
Hours after the slowdown became public, Musk wrote on “X” that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” referring to the president of the United States.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he did not know who was responsible for the slowdown, adding: “But I would like to find out.” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that “we haven’t pulled anything back,” while noting that “Starlink” could make decisions under its terms of service.
Rubio says US assistance has been vital
Asked whether the US national security adviser should have been given advance notice because the service was vital national security infrastructure for Ukraine, Rubio said he would not comment on what US officials knew about possible actions by the company.
He said reports that the US government had denied Ukraine something it needed to defend itself were “not true” and “not accurate”. He added that it was also inaccurate for Ukrainian leaders to continue making that claim.
Rubio said there had been “no foreknowledge” and that Trump had “had nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk.” He warned that the Trump administration would “no longer be defensive about this topic”.
“If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now. Ukraine as a sovereign state would not exist,” Rubio said.
He also said the US military had a contract with “SpaceX” for “Star Shield”, describing it as a separate matter because the US was purchasing and using that service for its own purposes.
