US Secretary of State denies Washington involvement in speed restrictions for drones
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Ukraine currently does not have access to the Starshield satellite system. He also dismissed allegations that the White House issued directives to lower internet speeds for Ukrainian drones. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine (Катерина Коваль) citing Magno News, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
The American official noted that the Ukrainian side has repeatedly requested access rights to Starshield, specifically for conducting long-range strikes deep into the territory of the rf. Currently, the matter remains under discussion.
Regarding reports of technical glitches and slowed connectivity, Marco Rubio labeled such claims as categorically false. He emphasized that the presidential administration had not issued any orders to restrict system functionality for military purposes.
Conflicting data on system operations
Washington’s stance contrasts with assessments from the Ukrainian side. Serhiy Beskrestnov, advisor to the president on defense technology, indicated that Starshield is used to coordinate interceptor drones. According to him, a speed limit of 160 km/h was applied to these devices starting October 14.
Serhiy Beskrestnov noted that the network is not used for operations within Russian territory or for strikes against rf oil refineries. At this time, negotiations are ongoing with SpaceX representatives and the US Department of Defense regarding the restoration of full connection speeds.
Discrepancies in positions
Elon Musk previously stated that the US government maintains control over Starshield, with restriction policies determined by the US military command and the president. Meanwhile, Donald Trump officially declared that he had not initiated any measures to limit the operation of satellite internet.
Illustrative photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 3.0
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