Rubio says Ukraine without access to Starshield, future ‘under discussion’

What the report says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Ukraine does not currently have access to Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system, but that Kyiv’s request to use it for long-range strikes inside Russia remains under discussion. His remarks were made to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and were later released by the US State Department, according to Al Jazeera.

Rubio drew a distinction between Starlink, which he described as a commercial internet service, and Starshield, which he said is a defense product intended for military use. He said Ukraine had asked for access to Starshield for deep attacks into Russia, but that no such access had been granted at this time. He also rejected claims by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that recent problems with Starlink services were intentional, saying the US had not ordered any slowdown.

The comments come amid continued pressure on Ukraine’s battlefield communications as it tries to counter Russian forces in the nearly five-year war. Al Jazeera reported that Ukrainian officials recently said restrictions on Starlink terminals had affected some drones, while Zelenskyy said the system was not tracking certain fast-moving drones effectively. That has raised concerns about how communications tools shape both air defense and strike operations.

The report also noted broader political tension around US policy toward Russia, including criticism of President Donald Trump’s decision to waive sanctions on Russia and on countries buying its oil and gas. Zelenskyy argued that easing pressure on Moscow would encourage further attacks.