The official's denial counters SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who denied restricting Ukraine's access and said the US government owns and controls Starshield, leaving any speed or usage limits to the US military and ultimately the president. Separately, the European Union is aiming to grant fast-track antitrust approval to a joint satellite venture between Airbus, Leonardo and Thales to rival SpaceX after intense talks with the partners, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield connectivity was fully restored on Thursday after speed caps of 160 km/h (100 mph) and at times 60 to 70 km/h cut links to frontline reconnaissance, medium-range strike drones and interceptor drones that require at least 450 km/h to counter Russian jet-powered Shahed drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the sudden curbs were deliberate and cost lives during Russian missile and drone barrages.