Zelenskyy says Starshield speed limits hinder Ukraine's drone defenses

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters at an EU summit that Ukraine cannot employ its interceptor systems against Russian Shahed drones because the Starshield variant of SpaceX's Starlink is subject to speed restrictions on Ukrainian territory. He said the service operates at up to 161 km/h before shutting down, whereas in the European Union it continues at speeds above 180 km/h, limiting both drone operations and communications.

"Unfortunately, we can't use Starlink or Starshield technology on our territory today to shoot down jet-powered Shaheds," Zelenskyy said in an online group chat with journalists.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv is in talks with U.S. officials, the Ministry of Defense and SpaceX representatives, but has received no concrete response. He attributed the limits to technical problems, noting that the restrictions are not present in the EU.

President Trump told reporters he had not imposed any limits on Ukraine's access to Starlink and expressed uncertainty about who might have done so, saying, "I don't know if it was anybody because it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon."

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on X that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government, and any speed or usage limits are set by the U.S. military and the President.

The issue comes as Ukraine reports a large Russian attack on its energy infrastructure, targeting more than 15 power generation and transmission facilities. Zelenskyy described the Starshield restrictions as "very painful and frustrating" because they leave the country vulnerable to drone attacks.

U.S. officials have not commented further, and the White House was not reached for comment.