Both Trump and Musk have publicly distanced themselves from the restrictions, which capped terminal connectivity at 160 km/h (100 mph) — and at times as low as 60 to 70 km/h — for roughly 36 hours beginning late Tuesday. Trump denied Friday that the US government restricted the system, telling reporters, "I don't know who it could have been, but it wasn't me. And I don't think it was Elon Musk either." Musk wrote on X on Wednesday that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government and that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," while two US officials and a Western official told Reuters that Defense Department leaders received a message from inside the White House ordering the service slowed.
While Ukrainian defense officials reported that Starshield access was restored after the slowdown, Zelenskyy said in Brussels on Friday that data speeds were only gradually recovering and remained below previous levels. He said the throttling prevented Ukrainian interceptor drones from shooting down a number of Russian jet powered Shahed drones targeting civilians, halted midrange strikes in Russian occupied territory, and disrupted drone deliveries of food and water to frontline troops. A bipartisan group of US senators has called on the Pentagon's inspector general to investigate the disruption and simultaneous gaps in US intelligence sharing that left American diplomatic, military, and security personnel unable to reach bunkers during Russian air raids.