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Trump confirms the return of the Starshield military communications system in Ukraine

Trump confirms the return of the Starshield military communications system in Ukraine

In response to a question about what the Wall Street Journal reported on this matter, Trump told reporters, "I don't want to comment on that, whether I called or someone else called, it makes no difference."

Trump added, referring to Musk, "The bottom line is that he restored the service."

The newspaper had reported earlier this week that Musk had restricted the connection speed of Ukrainian equipment to the system, rendering some of Kyiv's drones unusable.

Musk previously stated that "any restrictions on the speed or use" of Starshield systems are decided by the US military, and "ultimately the President of the United States."

For his part, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the Pentagon had not directed any changes to Starshield.

Trump clarified on Friday that he did not request any restrictions on Starshield, saying, "It wasn't me. And I don't think Elon did it either."

Ukraine uses Starshield, a version of the Starlink satellite internet system dedicated to military use, for its battlefield communications, for carrying out strikes inside Russian-occupied territory, and for operating its drones.

Kyiv also uses the parallel civilian Starlink system belonging to SpaceX, which is owned and operated by Musk.

Relations between Washington and Kyiv have seen increasing tension in recent days, as Trump called for elections in Ukraine and the replacement of Zelensky, after the latter criticized a US deal allowing more Russian diesel into global markets.

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Al Rai

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