U.S. Secretary of State says Ukraine's request for military-grade Starshield remains under discussion

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the military-grade satellite service known as Starshield is not presently available to Ukraine, though Kyiv has asked for access to conduct deep strikes inside Russia. He emphasized that Starshield differs from the commercial Starlink service, describing it as a defence product with higher encryption for sensitive operations. "They've asked for access to it in order to conduct deep strikes inside of Russia. They do not have access to it at this moment," Rubio said, adding that the matter is "under conversation."

Rubio also addressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's claim that a recent slowdown of Starlink service was deliberate. He said he was unaware of Zelenskyy's comments and stated, "It wasn't deliberate. We have nothing to do with that," and called reports that the White House ordered a speed reduction "categorically false."

Starshield, launched in 2022, is provided to U.S. government agencies and is designed for military use with deeper encryption. SpaceX notes that the system is primarily employed by U.S. defence agencies and other government partners. The discussion occurs amid broader U.S. policy debates, including President Donald Trump's recent waiver of sanctions on Russia and its oil and gas buyers, which Zelenskyy criticized as encouraging further Russian attacks.