“This is a Serious Mistake”: Zelenskyy Slams Starlink Restrictions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that expanding access to Starlink satellite communications would have allowed the Ukrainian military to destroy Russian ballistic missile launch systems.

He personally discussed this proposal with US President Donald Trump, but Ukraine encountered new restrictions instead of expanded capabilities, Zelenskyy said in an interview with the Financial Times on October 15.

During his talks with the US leader, Zelenskyy proposed enabling Starlink service on Russian territory to allow Ukrainian forces to target opponent missile launch positions, according to the president.

"I said to Trump that we can do this very quickly. If you do not shut down Starlink for us, if you open Starlink on the territory of Russia, we will destroy its ballistic launch systems, and that will be the end of it for him," the president stated, the Financial Times reported.

Zelenskyy believes these actions could force the Russian side to join negotiation efforts. He added that in such a scenario, Ukraine would not need to target Russian energy infrastructure facilities.

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War in Ukraine

Zelenskyy Asked Trump to Win Musk’s Backing for Starlink Expansion to Enable Deep Strikes

Jul 31, 2026 17:21

Earlier on October 14, SpaceX introduced new speed restrictions on Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian forces, reportedly without prior notification.

The limitations affect the military-grade Starshield service, with connections dropping when terminals travel faster than approximately 100 mph (160 km/h). Beskrestnov said the changes had already disrupted several military missions.

On October 15, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that European nations provided two-thirds of the intelligence supplied to Kyiv, with France playing a key role. Speaking on the France Inter radio station, he emphasized that European partners had long delivered the majority of total support for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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