According to the WSJ, it was Musk who pulled the plug on the Ukrainian drones

A week ago, Ukrainian drones began losing their signal. Many of them remain connected to the pilots who control them remotely via Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite network, and since 14 October the connection has been dropping as soon as they exceed 160 kilometres per hour. This is a problem when trying to chase a Russian Shahed travelling at 180, and a disaster when facing jet-powered versions, which fly at 300 and beyond. Now the Wall Street Journal reveals who put the brakes on: Elon Musk. According to the newspaper, which cites U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter, it was the founder of SpaceX who ordered the speed limit imposed on the terminals used by Kyiv’s forces. The effects were immediately felt on the front line: drone attacks were halted, air defences were struggling, and units were forced to investigate the fault and fall back on backup communications. Serhii Beskrestnov, the consultant who monitors Ukrainian military communications, had explained that the 160 kilometres per hour limit left Ukraine defenceless against the jet-powered attack drones that the Russians are using with increasing frequency.

Until now, no one had taken responsibility. On Friday, Trump had said he did not believe that either he or Musk had anything to do with it, whilst on Monday he claimed not to know who had been responsible, “but I’d like to find out”. Musk had written on X that the decision had not been made by SpaceX, and that speed limits are set by the military or the president. The Journal tells a different story. Some officials claim that Musk acted without an order from Trump. According to one source, the two had discussed the matter with other White House officials, whilst according to two other sources cited by the American newspaper, they spoke on the phone immediately after the news had become public, whilst the president was out on the campaign trail. Zelensky’s protests prompted the White House to launch an informal investigation. This morning in Mumbai, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Ukraine’s access to Starlink is a decision made by SpaceX and Musk, not the White House: a statement that sounds like confirmation. Yesterday, the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, had denied that Washington had cut off the service to Kyiv, suggesting that the problem lay in the terms of use that the Ukrainians were required to comply with.

The WSJ’s account does not answer all the questions. Last week, Reuters reported that the order to restrict the service had come to the Pentagon from the White House, whilst The Telegraph reported that Musk had proposed the restriction and Trump had approved it. There also remains confusion between Starlink, the commercial service, and Starshield, the military version that SpaceX has developed for the Department of Defence: Rubio claims that Kyiv does not have access to Starshield, whilst Zelenskyy says the slowdown has affected both. And some American analysts doubt that the contracts with the Pentagon allow Musk to decide on his own. On Sunday, on “Meet the Press”, Zelensky said he saw this as “a message from the US government”, technically carried out by SpaceX. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a guest on the same programme, called him irresponsible.

At the very same time that Starlink was experiencing slowdowns, Kyiv was also missing something else: US warnings about Russian ballistic missile launches. During the talks in Miami on 9 October, the Administration had warned the Ukrainians that intelligence-sharing could be suspended if they continued to strike Russian refineries, which the White House claims are behind the rise in oil prices. Meanwhile, Trump announced a diesel deal with Moscow and scrapped the sanctions that were due to come into force this week. For three days, Zelenskyy said, the alerts did not come through, just as the Russians were striking power stations and cities. According to the French Foreign Minister, two-thirds of the intelligence Ukraine receives from its allies comes from Europe. However, as Zelensky explained, only Washington can issue ballistic missile alerts. On Sunday, the Ukrainian president said the channel had been ‘unblocked’ and yesterday, following his meeting in Oslo with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, he confirmed that the flow had resumed. Rubio had denied in recent days that there had ever been a pause.

In Oslo, discussions centred on Starlink, interceptors and intelligence, but above all on the peace plan: security guarantees for Ukraine, reconstruction and a new European security architecture. Present at the table were the prime ministers of Norway and Finland, along with representatives from the EU and NATO. Jared Kushner, who was unwell, joined the meeting remotely. Rubio described the talks as “positive”. This morning, Witkoff landed in St Petersburg, where he was met at Pulkovo Airport by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy for economic affairs. According to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, he will meet the Russian president at the Constantine Palace to outline the American and European proposals discussed with Kyiv. According to the American press, an agreement to release certain American citizens detained in Russia is also on the table, possibly including Stephen Hubbard, a 72-year-old retired teacher captured in Izyum in 2022. Yesterday, Trump reiterated that he wants to see Kyiv sign an agreement with Moscow.