U.S. Treasury Secretary cautions Zelenskyy on claims about Starlink slowdown
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to avoid unverified statements about U.S. restrictions on Starlink services used by Ukraine’s military.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday that the Ukrainian leader should be cautious about publicly attributing recent slowdowns of Starlink-derived communications to the United States. Bessent said President Donald Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio have denied any action by the Trump administration that would limit the service, describing Zelenskyy’s accusations as reckless.
Zelenskyy had earlier told NBC’s "Meet the Press" that he believed the U.S. government was responsible for a slowdown that affected the military-grade Starshield system, which Ukraine uses for drones and vehicle communications. Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, noted in a post on X that Starshield is owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that any speed or usage limits are set by the U.S. military and the president.
Reuters reported that the White House ordered the restrictions, though President Trump has said he does not know who made the decision and denied personal involvement. The Treasury official’s remarks came amid broader scrutiny of U.S. policy toward Ukraine during Trump’s second term.