US President Donald Trump has denied limiting Ukraine's access to the Starshield internet network, a military-grade service that relies on Starlink. This denial follows reports that restrictions on drone speed hampered Kyiv's ability to defend against Russian attacks on Tuesday.
President Trump stated, "I wasn't me and I don't think it was [Starlink owner] Elon [Musk]," hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the speed had yet to be restored. Musk, the owner of Starlink and Starshield, suggested the US government might have been responsible for the restrictions, while Reuters reported on Thursday that the order originated from the White House.
Ukraine experienced several deadly strikes on Tuesday after the network slowdown. Starshield, designed for the Pentagon, is managed by the US government, according to Musk. A bipartisan group of US senators has signed a letter calling for an investigation into the disruptions, stating that the restrictions reportedly degraded Ukraine's ability to conduct defensive operations.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at a two-day EU summit in Brussels attended by President Zelensky, vowed that EU states would not abandon Ukraine. Funding for Ukraine and assistance for the upcoming winter were key topics at the summit, with President Zelensky telling the European Council that the war would cost €155bn next year, with at least €70bn needed from the EU for defence and weapons.