Ukraine believes US deliberately restricted Starshield to exert pressure at Abu Dhabi talks – FT
Ukrainian officials believe the United States may have deliberately restricted the operation of Starshield, the military version of Starlink, to pressure Kyiv during trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11.
The Financial Times reports this, according to Censor.NET.
Ukraine’s assessment
Senior Ukrainian officials told the FT they believed the restrictions were introduced to pressure Kyiv during the latest peace talks with Russia, which had just concluded in Abu Dhabi.
One source told the publication that Washington likely wanted to strengthen Russia’s negotiating position.
"We do not know the reason, [because] they (the US – ed.) are keeping silent about it," the source said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said Ukraine was awaiting explanations from the United States, but that "very little" was known so far. An FT source confirmed that no explanations had been provided.
Background
- As previously reported, on November 12, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian Defence Forces units were recording significant disruptions to Starshield operations over Ukrainian territory, along the entire front line and over temporarily occupied territory. The restrictions take effect at speeds of 161 kilometres per hour or above.
- He said that "someone in America" was making decisions about Ukrainian territory as though it were not Ukrainian.
- The European Commission called on US company SpaceX to restore Starshield satellite communications in Ukraine as soon as possible.
- The first instance of Starshield restrictions occurred in mid-October 2026. This hampered the use of interceptor drones against Russian UAVs, as well as reconnaissance and strike operations.
