Shocking revelation: America has blocked Ukraine; Something big is brewing

Defense Department officials were told that the Starshield service provided to Ukraine had to be slowed down, they said.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not say who in the White House made the decision or who was responsible for implementing it.

The Pentagon is the largest user of Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system.

Ukrainian officials reported this week that military receivers had stopped working when installed on fast-moving objects. This disrupted the operation of Ukrainian drones, which rely on Starshield for guidance over Ukrainian territory. A source in Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that the receivers were now working while in motion, but only at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.

Restrictions amid US pressure

The decision to temporarily restrict the system comes as President Donald Trump is pressuring Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries. Trump has said the attacks are driving up energy prices sharply, hurting his Republican Party’s prospects in the upcoming congressional elections in November.

Experts, however, say that rising energy prices are largely the result of the war being waged by the United States and Israel against Iran. The conflict has led to Iranian attacks on energy facilities and brought the strategic Strait of Hormuz close to a complete shutdown.

Asked about the order to restrict Starshield, a senior US official said: “The president has never made such a request.”

The White House did not respond to questions about whether other administration officials might have made the request.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on X on Wednesday that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. He said that all decisions regarding speed restrictions or usage limitations are made by the US military or the president.

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment. The Defense Department and the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington also did not respond to requests for comment.

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Deteriorating relations between Kyiv and Washington

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent days following an October 9 meeting in Miami attended by representatives of both countries, Europe, and the World Bank. A source familiar with the details of the meeting said that Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, the administration’s envoy for the Middle East, took a tough stance toward Ukraine. They told Ukrainian officials that Washington was frustrated by continued attacks on Russian oil refineries despite repeated requests to stop them.

The US delegation also defended Washington’s decision to sign a diesel supply agreement with Russia. They explained that the White House hoped the deal would soften Moscow’s position in peace negotiations. Under the agreement, Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to the US and global markets. The deal has drawn sharp criticism from some American officials, who argue that it will provide Moscow with the resources to continue the war without requiring Vladimir Putin to make any concessions in return.

In the days that followed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump exchanged criticism. Zelensky described the US decision on diesel as “weak,” while Trump called for elections in Ukraine and dismissed Zelensky.

Behind the scenes, US officials had threatened to cut off intelligence on Russian missile attacks, which Ukraine relies on for its defense. Trump said on Tuesday that Washington was still sharing this information with Ukraine.

Following the decision to restrict Starshield, Ukrainian officials spent Tuesday and Wednesday trying to obtain clarification from senior officials at the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon. A senior Ukrainian official said that Kyiv had been informed that the decision was made by the White House.

The Pentagon has spent billions of dollars on Starlink and Starshield services. It has also purchased dedicated Starshield satellites, including missile early-warning spacecraft and a spy satellite network for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which was announced in 2024.