Ukraine said on Friday that Starlink speed limits for military units remain in place. This contradicts Donald Trump, who claimed the service got restored. Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said, "We are currently not observing any lifting of speed limits on Starlink." These restrictions continue to hamper Ukrainian drone operations against Russia.
Kyiv accuses Washington of intentionally slowing technology crucial for intercepting Russian attacks
Ukraine said that speed limits on its Starlink communication systems remained in place for military units on Friday, contradicting Donald Trump's assertion that the service had been restored.
Restrictions on Starlink that prevent drones from flying faster than 160kph have hampered the Ukrainian army since October 13. Washington has repeatedly denied throttling speeds, while Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted the restrictions were deliberate.
"We are currently not observing any lifting of speed limits on Starlink," presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram on Friday.
"There are isolated instances where Starlink may travel slightly faster than the speed limit, but this is likely due to the SpaceX algorithm or specific usage conditions," he said.
Ukraine's general staff also confirmed on Friday morning that the military was still receiving "reports of Starlink/StarShield losing connection at certain speeds", but said Ukrainian drones were still operating.
Kyiv's problems with Elon Musk's satellite-based communication devices came as the relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy deteriorated to its lowest point since their explosive Oval Office meeting in February 2025.
In response to questions about whether Trump had spoken to Musk about the issue, Trump said on Thursday that Starlink access had been restored. "I don't want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn't make any difference, I guess. The bottom line -- he put it back," he said.
The US has pivoted towards Vladimir Putin in Trump's push to end Moscow's war in Ukraine. US special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Putin in St Petersburg this week and discussed a resumption of peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and America, followed by a possible summit between Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping next month, according to Russian officials.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that talks between negotiating teams from Russia, Ukraine and the US on a settlement were planned for Abu Dhabi in early to mid-November.
The Ukrainian military uses Starlink terminals to fly strike drones deep within Russian-controlled Ukrainian territory or to fly interceptors used to shoot down Russian drones. Units reported connection issues when drones flew faster than 130kph, and complete loss of signal above 160kph, Kyiv's officials and military officers said.
Serhii Sternenko, a former defence ministry adviser with close ties to the military, said the situation remained "unclear" on Friday morning: "Some units of Ukraine's Defence Forces have reported that service has been restored for flights at speeds above the previously set limits. However, this applies to far from all missions."
Donald Trump insisted on Thursday that he had "nothing to do with" restrictions on Starlink in Ukraine.
Following a phone call between Zelenskyy and US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Tuesday, Rubio promised to clarify the situation within 48 hours, Zelenskyy said.
Kyiv has used the Starlink terminals and the reliable communication they provide to power a so-called "middle-strike" campaign that has wreaked havoc on Russian logistics in recent months.
It is also used for a new breed of interceptor drones able to fly at close to 500kph to take down Russian jet-powered drones. Ukraine is still wrestling with a shortage of air-defence munitions, and has relied on combat helicopters which also use Starlink for data transmission, Beskrestnov said last week.
Zelenskyy told reporters last week that his officials had conducted experiments to confirm the restrictions were limited to Ukraine and amounted to a "planned operation".
Kyiv also claimed last week that Washington had suspended intelligence sharing on the early-warning system allowing Ukrainian civilians to be told about Russian ballistic missile launches. Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that intelligence sharing had resumed, following talks between the Ukrainian president and other European leaders with Trump's envoy Witkoff.
Russian officials said on Friday that more than 400 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight across Russian regions. Officials in the Nizhny Novgorod region said three people had been injured in the attack.