Trump said he did not want to comment on whether he had called Musk with the request, adding: "Whether I called or someone else did — it makes no difference," The Insider reported.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump asked Musk to lift the limits in a phone call on Wednesday. US and Ukrainian officials told the newspaper that the system then operated at higher speeds, though not everywhere.
The restrictions were set at 160 km/h: drones connected to Starshield lost their connection above that threshold. The limits first became known on 14 October — according to Ukraine's Defense Ministry, they began to be observed on the night of that date. Sources told Radio Liberty that Ukraine needs the limit raised to at least 450 km/h, otherwise it is impossible to counter jet-powered drones such as the Shahed.
Immediately after Trump's statement, the Associated Press published a report saying all restrictions remain in place. A few hours before the US president's remarks, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in an interview with CNN that the country was still experiencing problems using the service.
Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in the US, Denys Senyk, told Radio Liberty that Kyiv had received no answer from either the Pentagon or SpaceX. "The speed limits were not lifted," he said. A Ukrainian official familiar with the situation told Radio Liberty that only some units had seen an increase in speed, and that it was still insufficient to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.
It has not been officially explained who ordered the limits introduced. The Wall Street Journal and The Telegraph, citing sources, reported that Musk himself proposed the idea, having discussed it with the Pentagon and secured the ministry's support. The White House said it had not given instructions on restrictions. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters on 20 October that the US had not issued orders restricting the system's operation.
Musk himself claimed on social media platform X that the US military determines the speed and usage limits of Starshield, and that the president makes the final decision. Trump had previously denied that he or the SpaceX head had imposed any limits.
A congressional delegation that recently visited Kyiv said the restrictions had weakened Ukrainian air defense and endangered the lives of civilians and American personnel. Democrats and some Republicans called for an investigation. The contract for the service runs until April 2027 and is paid for by Germany.
Sources disagree: Trump said the restrictions had been lifted, while the Associated Press, Zelensky and Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in the US, Denys Senyk, report that the limits remain. According to The Wall Street Journal, officials interviewed by the newspaper speak of a partial increase in speed; according to Radio Liberty's interlocutor, not all units saw an improvement.