US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2025. Trump recently expressed frustration with Zelenskyy’s strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, claiming it had driven up diesel prices. (The White House/Daniel Torok)

White House Pulled Ukraine’s Starshield Support, Insiders Say

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President Donald Trump recently suggested that it was time for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to step down—comments that coincided with Ukraine’s technical difficulties.

Many analysts have noted that SpaceX’s Starshield satellite network, along with its underlying Starlink internet service, is “vital and indispensable” to Ukraine’s military defense and its ability to defend its territory against the ongoing Russian invasion. The network serves as the nation’s primary real-time network for Ukrainian land, naval, and air forces, as it has replaced traditional radios that can be easily jammed or tracked. Since the start of the war more than four and a half years ago, Kyiv has relied on Starshield to pilot and guide short- and medium-range reconnaissance, strike, and interceptor drones.

More importantly, the system has been critical in helping Ukraine’s forces coordinate defenses against fast-moving incoming Russian threats, notably the Shahed-type drones and missiles. The service provides encrypted, high-assurance satellite communications via specialized user terminals and the Starlink low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation.

On Thursday, officials........

© The National Interest