Rubio says Ukraine lacks access to Starshield, future use “under discussion”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Saturday that Ukraine cannot currently use Starshield, the military‑grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system, and that Kyiv’s request to employ the service for strikes deep inside Russia is still being considered. Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Rubio emphasized the difference between the two services. “Starlink is a commercial product, okay? And so it’s regulated and handled as a commercial product. Starshield is a defence product, a military product,” he said, according to a State Department release.
Rubio added that Ukrainian officials have asked for Starshield access to conduct deep strikes on Russian territory, but “they do not have access to it at this moment. That’s under conversation.” Starshield, launched in 2022 and supplied to the U.S. government, is built for military use with stronger encryption for handling sensitive data. SpaceX says the system is primarily used by U.S. defense agencies and other government partners.
Last week, Ukrainian officials reported that limits on Starlink terminals had slowed some of their drones as the country continues to resist Russian forces in a war now approaching five years. Rubio dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claim that a recent disruption to Starlink service in Ukraine was intentional. “Well, I don’t know what Zelenskyy said. I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t deliberate. We have nothing to do with that,” Rubio said.
Zelenskyy had earlier said the satellites were not tracking antennas on fast‑moving objects traveling faster than 161 kilometres per hour (100 miles per hour), a problem that hampers Ukrainian drones defending against Russian jet‑powered drones and conducting medium‑range attacks. Rubio responded that the United States had not ordered any reduction in Starlink speeds and that the service had been restored to its previous level. “No one at the White House ordered anyone to slow down internet or slow down speed so that certain drones couldn’t use it,” he said, calling the reports “categorically false.”
Rubio’s comments came as President Donald Trump faced criticism from both parties after waiving sanctions on Russia and on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas, a move made just days before the sanctions were set to take effect under a law he signed last month. Zelenskyy also condemned the waiver, posting on social media that financial relief for President Vladimir Putin “only encourages him to keep attacking” and urging the United States to maintain pressure on Moscow.