Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said he had checked on the situation that morning and that everything was working as usual. He added that he was not sure whether Starlink had stopped working in Ukraine at all.
On October 14, Ukrainian military personnel reported restrictions in the operation of Starlink satellite communications terminals — specifically their military version, Starshield. The restrictions disrupted some Ukrainian Armed Forces missions.
The following day, a senior official in the US presidential administration told Axios that the White House had nothing to do with the restriction of the service. Sources at Reuters, however, claimed that Starshield's operation was restricted on orders from the White House, without specifying who issued the order. Terminal operations were later partially restored.
Accounts differ: according to Axios, a US official said Trump did not order the restriction of Starshield; according to Reuters, the instruction to restrict the systems for Ukraine came from the White House, after which Pentagon leadership received a message about the need to slow down the service. Elon Musk also placed responsibility on the US leadership.