Reuters, citing two U.S. officials and one Western official, reported that an order to limit Starshield— the satellite system used by the Ukrainian army for communications and drone operations—was issued from inside the White House.

According to Reuters sources, senior U.S. Department of Defense officials received a message stating that the service speed of Starshield, which belongs to SpaceX, for the Ukrainian army should be reduced. It is unclear who in the White House made this decision.

Ukrainian officials said that the speed limitation disrupted the guidance of drones that rely on this system and made it more difficult to attack Russian forces and logistical facilities.

One senior American official said that U.S. President Donald Trump did not make such a request.

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, also said that Starshield is owned and controlled by the U.S. government, and that the decision regarding speed limits or its use is made by the army or the U.S. president.

One senior Ukrainian official said that after the restrictions were applied, Kyiv asked U.S. officials for an explanation and received a response that the decision was made by the White House.