Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraine’s Starlink access but declines to say whether they spoke

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s Starlink access but declined to comment when asked whether he had spoken to the billionaire about the matter.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Thursday that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Starlink.

“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,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he spoke to Musk. Trump did not elaborate further.

Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations. Restricting the satellite service hampered the country’s attack and air defense drone missions against Russia.

The Starlink system was working more normally on Thursday, shortly after the Trump-Musk conversation, the Journal reported earlier, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

Some Ukrainian officials told the newspaper that the system had not been restored to full functionality but was working at higher speeds than under the cap.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier Thursday that speed on Starlink systems had not been restored for Ukraine, adding that he hoped for talks with U.S. Secretary…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business