Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s forces had faced several days of “systematic” restrictions to Starshield, a SpaceX service used in military operations. He said the disruption was making it harder for Ukraine to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.
“We are trying to clear up all circumstances with the American side,” Zelensky said. He also accused the restrictions of “helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine.”
The service issue surfaced as US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Their talks came a day after US-led discussions with Russian and Ukrainian representatives concluded in Abu Dhabi, according to BBC reporting.
Kushner and Witkoff are expected to travel to Dublin to meet Zelensky. Before the Moscow meeting, Kushner said the US had seen “some openings and some opportunities” and would try to make progress.
Earlier Starshield disruption was also reported
A similar connectivity problem affected the front line in late October and lasted about a week before being resolved. At the time, it was unclear who had ordered the temporary restrictions, and US officials and SpaceX gave differing explanations.
The latest complaint concerns Starshield specifically. Zelensky said Ukrainian units had been dealing with the restrictions for several days, but the cause of the current disruption was not established in his comments.
The Abu Dhabi talks focused on Europe’s postwar security arrangements. Kushner said the US envoys would ask Putin to support inviting European representatives to future discussions. Russia has opposed European participation, citing European support for Kyiv as an obstacle.
Reid Bentley 
Nicole French