Ukraine would not exist right now were it not for aid from U.S. and bravery of Ukrainian soldiers, - Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes Ukraine wouldn't exist today without billions in U.S. aid.
He said this in comments to reporters, according to Censor.NET.
What is known?
"If it weren't for the assistance of the United States, particularly during the Trump administration, Ukraine would not exist today. Ukraine would not exist as a sovereign state," Rubio emphasized.
At the same time, he said that the bravery of Ukrainian soldiers should also be recognized, since they "fought with extraordinary bravery for their country and accomplished remarkable feats thanks to the assistance provided to them, standing up to a much larger country."
"But let's be very clear: Ukraine would not exist today if it weren't for the billions of dollars in aid the United States has provided to Ukraine—starting with the Biden administration and continuing through this administration as well," said the U.S. Secretary of State.
Rubio pointed out that the forecasts had given Ukraine five days.
"And we're already approaching five years. And to a large extent, this is thanks to the soldiers in Ukraine, their courage, and the tenacity with which they are fighting," he concluded.
Restrictions on Starlink Service in Ukraine
- On October 14, volunteer and former advisor to the Minister of Defense Serhiy Sternenko stated that overnight, SpaceX restricted the operation of Starlink terminals for the Ukrainian military. As a result, he said, "several important missions were disrupted." The restrictions were imposed on data transmission based on the speed of the UAVs using Starlink.
- Sergey Beskrestnov (Flash) later confirmed this information. According to him, the restrictions could also complicate the use of drones designed to intercept jet-powered suicide drones.
- Units of the 7th Corps of the Airborne Forces also reported that they began experiencing issues with Starlink connectivity in the Huliaipole area last night. This refers to the Starshield package—the so-called military package—which previously had no data transfer speed limits.
- Later, former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that the network is being restored to speeds of up to 160 km/h.
- At the same time, Elon Musk stated that he is not the one who sets the limits for Starshield, which Ukraine is using. This system is controlled by the U.S. government, not SpaceX.
- According to Reuters, the White House issued an order imposing restrictions on Starshield for Ukraine.
- On October 16, U.S. President Trump stated that Washington was not involved in the delay of the Starlink (Starshield) satellite communications "military package" for the Ukrainian military.
- On October 19, Zelenskyy reported that in various sectors of the front, Ukrainian military equipment equipped with the Starlink system stops functioning at speeds of 130–161 kilometers per hour.
