Trump denies ordering limitations on Starshield for Ukraine

Starshield is a SpaceX product used by the U.S. military that is available to Ukraine. It is often confused with Starlink, a civilian product that Ukraine also uses.

By Ben Whedon

Published: October 16, 2026 4:19pm

President Donald Trump on Friday denied that he had ordered limitations on Ukraine's use of Starshield and expressed doubt that SpaceX founder Elon Musk had done so.

Trump's comments follow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claiming that the technology had been slowed amid a row with Trump, leading to speculation that either he or Musk had limited Kyiv's access to pressure the government.

“It wasn’t me and I don’t think it was Elon,” he told reporters. "From what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been."

Starshield is a SpaceX product used by the U.S. military that is available to Ukraine. It is often confused with Starlink, a civilian product that Ukraine also uses.

Trump and Zelensky have feuded in recent weeks over Trump's efforts to stop Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy sites after he brokered a deal with Moscow to inject diesel into global markets.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.