Ukraine without access to Starshield; Rubio says future use is under discussion

Starshield request remains open

Rubio described Starlink as a commercial service and Starshield as a military product. The US secretary of state said Ukraine does not currently have access to Starshield, but its request is being considered.

Kyiv has sought access for attacks deep inside Russia. Launched in 2022 and supplied to the US government, Starshield is designed for military use and offers deeper encryption for sensitive information. SpaceX says US defence agencies and other government partners are its primary users.

Rubio rejects disruption claim

Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Rubio rejected Zelenskyy’s suggestion that the reported Starlink disruption in Ukraine on Wednesday had been deliberate. He said the White House had not ordered internet service to be slowed to prevent certain drones from using it. Rubio called those reports “categorically false,” according to comments released by the Department of State.

Drone limits and sanctions concern

Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the satellites do not track antennas on flying objects moving faster than 161 kilometres per hour, or 100 miles per hour. He said this was affecting Ukrainian drones used against Russian jet-powered drones and in Ukraine’s medium-range attacks. Zelenskyy also criticised a sanctions waiver on Saturday, warning that easing pressure on Russia would encourage further attacks.