(Photo credit: Alex Brandon / Ap Photo/alex Brandon)The Cradle
OCT 16, 2026
Trump has been angered by Zelensky’s insistence on striking Russian oil refineries in spite of Washington’s requests to stop
The order to throttle the Starlink satellite system used by the Ukrainian military to communicate and conduct drone operations against Russia came directly from the White House, Reuters reported on 15 October.
According to two US officials and a western official familiar with the matter, leaders at the Pentagon received a message that the Ukrainian military’s use of Starshield, the military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink, needed to be slowed.
“The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not specify who in the White House made the decision or who was responsible for implementing the order,” Reuters wrote.
Ukrainian officials say that military-grade Starlink receptors stopped working this week when mounted on drones moving at speeds above 160 kilometers per hour.
Ukrainian drones rely on Starlink receptors for their onboard guidance systems.
The slowing of the Starshield service hindered Ukraine’s ability to carry out drone strikes against Russian forces and to shoot down incoming Russian Shahed drones.
A senior US official denied the claim, saying that “No such request was ever made by the president.”
Musk’s SpaceX developed Starshield for the US Department of War and other national security customers.
He said on X on Wednesday that because Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military or the president.
Reuters noted that relations between Kiev and Washington have worsened since a meeting in Miami earlier this month chaired by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Kushner reportedly “struck a tough tone with Ukraine” during the meeting in response to Kiev’s repeated strikes on Russia’s oil refineries.
Ukrainian military officials were told by their US counterparts that “if you will not stop [the energy strikes], we will block intelligence,” Zelensky told the Financial Times (FT) in an interview this week.
Ukraine’s targeting of Russian refineries has angered Trump, who says the attacks are driving up world energy prices, particularly for diesel fuel.
High diesel and gas prices threaten support for Trump’s Republican Party among US voters ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
Zelensky says Trump’s war on Iran and Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response are responsible for the energy price spikes.
Roughly 20 percent of world oil and gas exports exited the Persian Gulf through the strait before the war began in February.
On Friday last week, Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to purchase Russian diesel fuel for the US and international market, causing Zelensky to criticize the US president.
The following day, Trump called for Zelensky to be replaced, saying he had repeatedly refused offers to end the war with Russia.
“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals that, for some reason, he never does,” Trump said.
People don’t understand, Trump would make a deal with the devil himself if he found some benefit in it. Not saying President Putin is the devil, I am only saying that Zelensky should have been gone, the war should have been over but as long as the U.S. and Europe continue to assist Ukraine, the mess will continue even though everyone is much aware of the inevitable outcome. Russia will prevail!! Long live Russia!! Long live President Vladimir Putin!!! And Trump is right to criticize Zelensky.
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