Musk’s Role in Restricting Ukraine’s Access to SpaceX’s Satellite Network Was Larger Than Previously Known: Report

Elon Musk's involvement in the slowing down of a satellite service Ukraine uses in its war effort was larger than previously disclosed, according to a new report.

Musk held several conversations with White House officials before making a decision to restrict Starshield, The Wall Street Journal detailed. The outlet went on to note that Musk wanted clarity on President Donald Trump's thinking on the matter before moving forward, as he has shown unease about SpaceX being seen as profiting from the war.

Musk had appeared to point at the Trump administration last week after the restrictions went into place, saying "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS."

However, the report also noted that some officials in the White House were surprised about the development, as neither Trump nor the Pentagon ordered restrictions to the service, which severely hampered the country's ability to wage aerial war.

"We haven't pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to. And that's where Starlink has the option to make those decisions, but nothing's changed from our view. We haven't made any directives or anything like that," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said about the matter.

Trump, on his end, said he didn't know who ordered for Starshield to be restricted but he would "like to find out."

The latest report stands in contrast with one from Reuters, which claimed last week that the decision came from the White House. Leaders at the Defense Department, the outlet said, got a message saying that the system needed to be slowed down. They did not specify who made the decision or relayed the order.

Ukraine is facing wartime challenges on different fronts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week that the Trump administration is holding up key missiles that Europe has already paid for.

Speaking with U.S. senators on Monday, Zelenskyy said the Pentagon is "delaying the delivery of" Patriot missiles, which Kyiv uses to intercept Russian projectiles.

"The missiles are ready and they could already be in Ukraine," Zelenskyy added, claiming that "unfortunately, there is still no approval." A report from last week claimed that Ukraine had already ran out of Patriots.