# Trump denies ordering Starlink curbs in Ukraine

> President Trump denied the White House restricted SpaceX's Starlink services to Ukraine this week, contradicting claims by Elon Musk and reports citing U.S. officials.
- Title: Trump denies ordering Starlink curbs in Ukraine · CNBC
- Summary: President Trump denied the White House restricted SpaceX's Starlink services to Ukraine this week, contradicting claims by Elon Musk and reports citing U.S…
- Keywords: donald trump, elon musk, starlink, spacex, ukraine, starshield, white house, russia, business, finance, Trump, denies
- Source: CNBC — https://cnbc.com/2026/10/16/trump-denies-musk-claim-he-ordered-starlink-restrictions-in-ukraine.html
- Author: Lora Kolodny
- Published: 2026-10-16T18:27:02+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: donald trump, elon musk, starlink, spacex, ukraine, starshield, white house, russia, business, finance
## Trump denies White House order
President Donald Trump on Friday denied the White House ordered restrictions on Starlink satellite internet services to Ukraine's armed forces this week.
## Ukraine reports Starshield cutoff
Ukrainian officials said SpaceX restricted Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink, without warning on Tuesday and Wednesday, hampering military operations.
## Musk pins blame on government
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government, implying restrictions came from presidential decisions.

> Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government.
## Trump's response to reporters
Trump told reporters in Washington, D.C., "Well, I don't know if it was anybody because it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon."

> Well, I don't know if it was anybody because it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon.
## Impact on Ukrainian military
The restrictions cut off connectivity for drones and vehicles traveling above one hundred sixty kilometres per hour. Serhii Beskrestnov, advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said armed forces received no warning, causing mission failures.

> Our armed forces did not receive a warning about these restrictions, and this led to the failure of a number of missions.
## Conflicting reports and criticism
Reuters reported the White House ordered the restrictions. Poland's deputy prime minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized Musk on X, asking if he was playing politics with his products.

> Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?
## Key takeaway

Trump denied ordering Starlink restrictions in Ukraine after SpaceX limited military internet access, though reports attributed the decision to the White House.