Ukraine has rejected reports that restrictions on its use of Starlink have been lifted, according to T-Online. A Ukrainian government official told the Kyiv Independent that the 161-kilometre-per-hour speed cap on military use of the satellite internet service remains in place, saying nothing had changed "by and large" and that claims to the contrary were "all false."
The denial follows statements from US President Donald Trump that SpaceX chief Elon Musk had restored the service. The Wall Street Journal had reported that Trump phoned Musk and asked him to remove the limits, after which the connection was said to have improved.
Why it matters
Starlink is central to Ukraine's battlefield communications and drone operations, and the dispute has strained relations between Washington and Kyiv. The speed restriction, in force since 14 October, complicates Ukraine's use of fast interceptor drones against Russian attacks, according to T-Online. Who ordered the throttling remains unclear.
Accounts of the current state of the service conflict. The Economist reported on Thursday, citing sources in the Ukrainian military, that Starlink functions had returned to normal. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that evening that speeds had not yet been restored and that he hoped to hold talks with the US secretary of state in the coming days.
Trump, asked by journalists whether he had discussed the matter with Musk, declined to say. Neither Musk nor SpaceX has commented on the reports. Earlier, the US administration and Musk had blamed each other for the outages; US reporting indicated Musk himself initiated the speed cap.
A satellite network under Ukrainian control
Kyiv is moving to reduce its dependence on Starlink for military communications. The defence ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with Finnish satellite firm Iceye and network equipment maker Nokia to develop its own satellite communications system, the companies announced. The agreement was made public during a visit to Kyiv by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
The aim is a secure network in which Ukraine itself controls the satellites, ground stations and terminals. That would keep communications running even if ground-based networks are knocked out by Russian strikes.
Putin signals readiness for talks
After meeting US envoy Steve Witkoff about ending the war, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin said Moscow was willing to resume three-way contacts. "We agreed that we are ready to resume our trilateral contacts," Putin told Pavel Zarubin, a correspondent for Russian state television, referring to earlier talks involving US and Ukrainian representatives. He offered no new proposals for a peace settlement.
Zelensky had stressed on Wednesday that he would support a freeze of the front line. Witkoff met Zelensky and European officials before travelling to St Petersburg the following day to see Putin. Afterwards, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov floated fresh negotiations involving Moscow, Kyiv and Washington for mid-November.
Deadly strikes in Zaporizhzhia and Zhytomyr
A Russian attack killed three people in southeastern Ukraine. The strike hit a private house in Zaporizhzhia, according to the military administration. A 37-year-old man and two women aged 38 and 69 died. Authorities initially gave no details on the type of attack.
In the Zhytomyr region west of Kyiv, nine people were injured when a drone struck a residential building, regional military administration head Vitaliy Bunechko wrote on Telegram. Two of the injured were minors, and two people were taken to hospital.
What to watch: whether Starlink speeds are verifiably restored, and whether the mid-November talks materialise.
