(../../../../fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/CNBC_LOGO_FAVICON_1C_KO_RGB.ico) Ukraine says Starlink restrictions remain despite Trump assurances (ukraine-says-starlink-restrictions-remain-despite-trump-assurances.html) (https://image.cnbcfm.com) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com) (https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/10/23/ukraine-says-starlink-restrictions-remain-despite-trump-assurances.html) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/main-6a67dfe3f1324dce7197.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/54711-1b4b7f27485b536e2300.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/73154-f72e1b21698ca1449bb2.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/74430-af231b64f95f9e3d41ae.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/CNBCGlobalNav-1ef3d9f4f23da797ec6f.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-Ads-TopBanner-d40bf01647eaf56d45bf.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-ArticleHeader-439053a438abbbf01636.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-ArticleInlineMedia-ce4dc323bdf07999c782.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/89244-92cd1abce03aaa61c9fd.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/73965-e60d3b2124efaa92448f.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-KeyPoints-c55273c3b6aa04692701.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/35296-3cb611a1728d54bda135.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-ArticleBody-afc2a29e844e54db3fca.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/93002-ae69b162db78f6308c82.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-shared-Article-InlineImage-2f68917e400bcab06cc6.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-ArticleRelatedVideo-2fb52a46c0576d7d9cfa.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-LiveEventModule-8a58dfc853cfadadf1fe.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-WatchLiveRightRail-090a6e7cb78c8cbead15.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-Ads-BoxRail-5b6a2c071c5d8bca4ef9.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-PcmModule-TransporterSection-c042b86ca9cdbf3fdab7.js) (https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/components-Footer-CNBCFooter-7b056eda5d0b46bce525.js) (ukraine-says-starlink-restrictions-remain-despite-trump-assurances.html#MainContent) Skip Navigation (https://www.cnbc.com/) (CNBC) (https://www.cnbc.com/markets/) Markets (https://www.cnbc.com/pre-markets/) Pre-Markets (https://www.cnbc.com/us-markets/) U.S. Markets (https://www.cnbc.com/currencies/) Currencies (https://www.cnbc.com/prediction-markets/) Prediction Markets (https://www.cnbc.com/cryptocurrency/) Cryptocurrency (https://www.cnbc.com/futures-and-commodities/) Futures & Commodities (https://www.cnbc.com/bonds/) Bonds (https://www.cnbc.com/funds-and-etfs/) Funds & ETFs (https://www.cnbc.com/business/) Business (https://www.cnbc.com/economy/) Economy (https://www.cnbc.com/finance/) Finance (https://www.cnbc.com/health-and-science/) Health & Science (https://www.cnbc.com/media/) Media (https://www.cnbc.com/real-estate/) Real Estate (https://www.cnbc.com/energy/) Energy (https://www.cnbc.com/climate/) Climate (https://www.cnbc.com/transportation/) Transportation (https://www.cnbc.com/cnbc-investigations/) Investigations (https://www.cnbc.com/industrials/) Industrials (https://www.cnbc.com/retail/) Retail (https://www.cnbc.com/wealth/) Wealth (https://www.cnbc.com/sports/) Sports (https://www.cnbc.com/life/) Life (https://www.cnbc.com/small-business/) Small Business (https://www.cnbc.com/investing/) Investing (https://www.cnbc.com/personal-finance/) Personal Finance (https://www.cnbc.com/fintech/) Fintech (https://www.cnbc.com/financial-advisors/) Financial Advisors (https://www.cnbc.com/options-action/) Options Action (https://www.cnbc.com/etf-street/) ETF Street (https://buffett.cnbc.com) Buffett Archive (https://www.cnbc.com/earnings/) Earnings (https://www.cnbc.com/trader-talk/) Trader Talk (https://www.cnbc.com/technology/) Tech (https://www.cnbc.com/cybersecurity/) Cybersecurity (https://www.cnbc.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/) AI (https://www.cnbc.com/enterprise/) Enterprise (https://www.cnbc.com/internet/) Internet (https://www.cnbc.com/media/) Media (https://www.cnbc.com/mobile/) Mobile (https://www.cnbc.com/social-media/) Social Media (https://www.cnbc.com/cnbc-disruptors/) CNBC Disruptor 50 (https://www.cnbc.com/tech-guide/) Tech Guide (https://www.cnbc.com/politics/) Politics & Policy (https://www.cnbc.com/white-house/) White House (https://www.cnbc.com/policy/) Policy (https://www.cnbc.com/defense/) Defense (https://www.cnbc.com/congress/) Congress (https://www.cnbc.com/expanding-opportunity/) Expanding Opportunity (https://www.cnbc.com/tv/) Video (https://www.cnbc.com/latest-video/) Latest Video (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/full-episodes/) Full Episodes (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) Livestream (https://www.cnbc.com/live-audio/) Live Audio (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/schedule/) Live TV Schedule (https://www.cnbc.com/podcast/) CNBC Podcasts (https://www.cnbc.com/video-ceo-interviews/) CEO Interviews (https://www.cnbc.com/documentaries/) CNBC Documentaries (https://www.cnbc.com/digital-original/) Digital Originals (https://www.cnbc.com/watchlist/) Watchlist (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/subscribe?__source=investingclub|globalnav|join&tpcc=investingclub|globalnav|join) Investing Club (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/charitable-trust/) Trust Portfolio (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/analysis/) Analysis (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/trade-alerts/) Trade Alerts (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/video/) Meeting Videos (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/homestretch/) Homestretch (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/jim-cramer-columns/) Jim's Columns (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/education/) Education (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/subscribe?__source=investingclub|dropdownnav&tpcc=investingclub|dropdownnav) Subscribe (Join IC) (https://www.cnbc.com/application/pro?__source=pro|globalnav|join&tpcc=pro|globalnav|join) PRO (https://www.cnbc.com/pro/news/) Pro News (https://www.cnbc.com/josh-brown/) Josh Brown (https://www.cnbc.com/mike-santoli-insight/) Mike Santoli (https://www.cnbc.com/analyst-calls-of-the-day/) Calls of the Day (https://www.cnbc.com/my-portfolio/) My Portfolio (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) Livestream (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/full-episodes/) Full Episodes (https://www.cnbc.com/pro-stock-screener/) Stock Screener (https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/11/market-strategist-survey-forecast.html) Market Forecast (https://www.cnbc.com/pro/options-investing/) Options Investing (https://www.cnbc.com/cnbc-pro-chart-investing/) Chart Investing (https://www.cnbc.com/application/pro/?__source=pro|dropdownnav&tpcc=pro|dropdownnav) Subscribe (Join Pro) (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) Livestream Menu (https://www.cnbc.com/make-it/) (makeit) Make It select (https://www.cnbc.com/?region=usa) USA (https://www.cnbc.com/world/) INTL (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) Livestream Search quotes, news & videos (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) Livestream (https://www.cnbc.com/watchlist/) Watchlist (Show Notifications) (ukraine-says-starlink-restrictions-remain-despite-trump-assurances.html#) SIGN IN (ukraine-says-starlink-restrictions-remain-despite-trump-assurances.html#) Create free account (https://www.cnbc.com/markets/) Markets (https://www.cnbc.com/business/) Business (https://www.cnbc.com/investing/) Investing (https://www.cnbc.com/technology/) Tech (https://www.cnbc.com/politics/) Politics & Policy (https://www.cnbc.com/tv/) Video (https://www.cnbc.com/watchlist/) Watchlist (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/subscribe?__source=investingclub|globalnav|join&tpcc=investingclub|globalnav|join) Investing Club (Join IC) (https://www.cnbc.com/application/pro?__source=pro|globalnav|join&tpcc=pro|globalnav|join) PRO (Join Pro) (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) Livestream Menu (https://www.cnbc.com/technology/) Tech Musk's SpaceX is still restricting Starlink in Ukraine and the toll is rising Published Fri, Oct 23 2026 1:04 PM EDT Updated 17 Min Ago (thumbnail) (https://www.cnbc.com/annie-palmer/) Annie Palmer (https://linkedin.com/in/annierpalmer/) @in/annierpalmer/ (https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) WATCH LIVE Key Points Ukrainian officials continued to report issues with SpaceX's Starlink internet system on Friday. National security expert Dmitri Alperovitch said Ukraine is losing drones and that restrictions are limiting strikes on Russian logistics. Trump, who said Thursday that Elon Musk had "put it back," said Friday that he hadn't spoken with the SpaceX CEO about Ukraine's Starlink service. In this article (https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/SPCX) SPCX Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT (President Trump: Don’t know who ordered the Starlink slowdown in Ukraine) watch now VIDEO 1:51 01:51 President Trump: Don’t know who ordered the Starlink slowdown in Ukraine (https://www.cnbc.com/squawk-on-the-street/) Squawk on the Street (https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/SPCX/) SpaceX 's (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/22/elon-musk-ukraine-starlink-alternatives.html) Starlink internet system continues to be throttled in (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/23/starlink-ukraine-musk-trump-congress.html) Ukraine as the stakes rise for the war-torn country, Ukrainian officials and a national security expert said Friday. "Every day matters for Ukraine, because every Ukrainian life matters," wrote Denys Sienik, Ukraine's deputy ambassador to the U.S., (https://x.com/DenysSienik/status/2113607501111349263?s=20) in a Friday post on X . "Our people are waiting for positive news, hoping that the restrictions will be lifted and our defenders will have the capabilities they need to protect lives," Sienik said. "Unfortunately, as of today, nothing has changed. We continue to wait." Since Oct. 14, (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/14/russia-ukraine-energy-ceasefire-power-outages.html) Ukrainian officials have accused SpaceX of undermining the country's ability to defend itself by imposing speed limits on Starshield, the military-grade Starlink offering. Any drone traveling above 100 mph lost its connection, disrupting some missions, officials said. Despite recent comments from President (https://www.cnbc.com/donald-trump/) Donald Trump that indicated service was restored, Ukraine's Starshield terminals continued to experience problems on Friday, said Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington, D.C., think tank focused on energy, defense tech and global trade. "They are losing drones," Alperovitch, who is also a co-founder and former chief technology officer of cybersecurity firm (https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/CRWD/) CrowdStrike , told CNBC. "Ability to do mid strike to hit Russian logistics is now limited." Soldiers from a separate task rifle battalion of the National Police of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region take a camouflage case off a Starlink satellite communication terminal to be set up at a combat position in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 16, 2026. Dmytro Smolienko | Future Publishing | Getty Images Ukrainian President (https://www.cnbc.com/volodymyr-zelenskyy/) Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Friday (https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2113677048354947180) post on X that the restrictions on Starlink and Starshield "are still there," and added, "The speed has not been restored." He noted that the country is also waiting for the U.S. to deliver missile interceptors "that were already agreed on." "Things have become harder — partly because of the Starlink and Starshield policies and speed limits," Zelenskyy wrote. "But our frontline is still holding and I am proud of how strong our people are." Zelenskyy's defense tech advisor, Serhii Beskrestnov, also confirmed the restrictions were in place in a post on his Telegram channel. "While there are isolated cases where Starlink may operate somewhat beyond the established limits, this is likely a result of SpaceX's algorithms or specific usage conditions, rather than an actual removal of restrictions," Beskrestnov said in a post translated by Google. Musk and representatives from SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Who is ultimately responsible for the decision to limit Ukraine's service remains unclear. (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/23/starlink-ukraine-musk-trump-congress.html) Democratic lawmakers have since called for an investigation into Musk and the Starshield throttling. A group of bipartisan lawmakers penned a (https://www.kelly.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Starshield_Letter_to_Secretary_Hegseth_-_Version_2_-_10-22-2026_@_03-54_PM.pdf) letter to Defense Secretary (https://www.cnbc.com/pete-hegseth/) Pete Hegseth on Thursday urging the agency to "act expeditiously to expand its Starshield arrangements and ensure uninterrupted satellite communications support for Ukraine." The (https://www.wsj.com/world/trump-called-musk-and-asked-him-to-lift-ukraine-starlink-restrictions-5aeebc6e?mod=hp_lead_pos1) Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump spoke to (https://www.cnbc.com/elon-musk/) Elon Musk by phone about lifting the restrictions on Ukraine's Starshield terminals. (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/22/trump-musk-starlink-ukraine.html) Trump said Thursday he didn't "want to comment one way or the other" about whether he made the call to Musk, and added, "The bottom line, he put it back." But on Friday, Trump insisted that he hadn't spoken with Musk, and reiterated that Starshield service had been restored. "I've heard it was fixed," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "But if it's not, I'll speak to him." Amid the Starshield disruptions, Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have floated the possibility of adopting additional satellite internet communications systems. Experts previously told CNBC that it could prove challenging for Ukraine or other countries to secure alternatives to Starlink since other options are not yet comparable to the service. Zelenskyy wrote on Wednesday in (https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2112861676764561508?s=20) a post on X that he met with Norwegian officials and Kongsberg, a Norwegian defense company, to discuss air defense systems and "launching work on new satellite communication capabilities for our warriors." On Thursday, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense signed a (https://www.iceye.com/newsroom/press-releases/iceye-and-nokia-partner-with-the-ministry-of-defence-of-ukraine-to-develop-sovereign-satcom-capability) letter of intent with Nokia and ICEYE, a Finnish space intelligence firm, to "explore cooperation in space" and "support Ukraine's defense capabilities, particularly in building sovereign satellite communications," the companies said in a release. "Modern warfare has proven that reliable communications are a matter of national security," Zelenskyy said in a statement. "We must all rely on capabilities that we can control." -- CNBC's Eamon Javers and Lora Kolodny contributed reporting to this story. Read more CNBC tech news (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/22/elon-musk-ukraine-starlink-alternatives.html) Musk's clash with Ukraine accelerates demand for Starlink alternatives. Few exist (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/22/metr-redwood-research-open-ai-test.html) Third-party evaluators find vulnerabilities in OpenAI monitoring system during test pilot (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/22/nvidia-jensen-huang-neocloud-demand-capital.html) Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says neocloud demand is 'off the charts' but capital is scarce (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/21/tesla-tsla-q3-2026-earnings-report.html) Tesla beats on earnings and sales even as auto revenue declines (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.cnbc.com/) Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news. (https://www.cnbc.com/) (CNBC logo) (https://www.facebook.com/cnbc/) (https://www.twitter.com/cnbc/) (https://www.linkedin.com/company/cnbc/) (https://www.instagram.com/cnbc/) (https://www.youtube.com/user/cnbc/) (https://apple.news/T3OtoXcxtRkuHRkM7SpFP_Q) (https://www.cnbc.com/rss-feeds/) (https://www.cnbc.com/application/pro/?__source=pro|globalfooter) Subscribe to CNBC PRO (https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/subscribe?__source=investingclub|globalfooter) Subscribe to Investing Club (https://www.cnbc.com/cnbc-reprints/) Licensing & Reprints (https://www.cnbccouncils.com/) CNBC Councils (https://www.cnbc.com/select/) Select Personal Finance (https://cnbcrsh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dgRx5X1nYC0YjNI?Origin=cnbc) Join the CNBC Panel (https://www.cnbc.com/closed-captioning/) Closed Captioning (https://www.cnbc.com/subscribe/all-access/) Digital Products (https://www.cnbc.com/cnbc-news-releases/) News Releases (https://www.cnbc.com/cnbc-internship-program/) Internships (https://www.cnbc.com/corrections/) Corrections (https://www.cnbc.com/about/) About CNBC (https://www.cnbc.com/site-map/) Site Map (https://www.cnbc.com/podcast/) Podcasts (https://www.cnbc.com/cnbc-careers-and-employment/) Careers (https://help.cnbc.com/) Help (https://help.cnbc.com/contact/) Contact News Tips Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you. (https://www.cnbc.com/news-tips/) Get In Touch CNBC Newsletters Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox (https://www.cnbc.com/sign-up-for-cnbc-newsletters/) Sign Up Now Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Advertise With Us (https://together.nbcuni.com/advertise/?utm_source=cnbc&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=property_ad_pages) Please Contact Us (https://www.versantprivacy.com/privacy/cookies#accordionheader3) Ad Choices (https://www.versantprivacy.com/privacy) Privacy Policy (California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Opt-Out Icon) Your Privacy Choices (http://www.versantprivacy.com/privacy/california-consumer-privacy-act) CA Notice (https://www.cnbc.com/terms/) Terms of Service © 2026Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. (https://www.cnbc.com/market-data-terms-of-service/) Market Data Terms of Use and Disclaimers Data also provided by(https://www.cnbc.com/market-data-terms-of-service/) (Reuters logo) (../../../../zephr-templates.cnbc.com/integration.css)