Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle say they are outraged over reports that the U.S. may have knowingly withheld warnings from Ukraine that could have alerted the country to Russian ballistic missile strikes this week.
They also cited a breakdown in internet access provided to Ukraine by the network of satellites run by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, questioning whether the twin issues were part of a concerted effort by the Trump administration to get Ukraine to the negotiating table.
President Donald Trump clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, telling reporters Saturday that Ukraine needs “a new president.”
Zelenskyy said Tuesday that his country received “no advance warning from our partners” on Russia’s latest strike on Kyiv, adding that it was the second time this week that the country was not warned about an attack.
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Trump denied the reports, telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday, “We are helping them and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end, so we’re working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end.”
U.S. officials told Ukraine that the system used to detect Russian missile launches failed due to “bad weather,” CBS News reported Wednesday.
Since the outbreak of war with Russia in 2022, Ukraine’s military has relied on SpaceX for access to the internet via Starlink satellite technology, which is geared toward civilian and commercial use, as well as military-grade Starshield satellites that support intelligence and defense operations. The technology is provided to Ukraine through contracts with the U.S. Defense Department.
This week, Ukraine began experiencing disruptions to its frontline operations after satellite terminals started experiencing signal failures for drone units operating at certain speeds, The Financial Times reported Wednesday.
As a result, Russian strikes killed up to nine people across Ukraine this week, according to reports, and left at least 600,000 people without power, Zelenskyy said.
Initial reports of a breakdown in intelligence sharing and issues with SpaceX’s satellite systems prompted several U.S. lawmakers to come out in strong support for Ukraine.
“Congress has repeatedly made clear that the United States should provide intelligence support to save lives from Russia’s merciless strikes,” the co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Ukraine Caucus wrote in a statement Wednesday. “US allies pay for Ukraine’s access to Starlink. Restrictions that put civilians in harm’s way are unconscionable and will not be accepted by Congress.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), who has been a vocal proponent for Ukrainian military aid, also slammed the Trump administration over the alleged lack of intelligence sharing.
“The Administration’s decision to reduce intel sharing to Ukraine & access to Starlink equates to aiding the invader & the war criminal who bombs cities,” Bacon wrote Wednesday on X. “Does the Administration think it will get ANY support for the remainder of the 119th Congress? Their agenda is dead unless they change paths.”
Hours after several U.S. lawmakers sounded the alarm, Ukrainian Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov thanked Musk and announced that Starlink speed disruptions had been remedied, but that Starshield’s restrictions remained in place.
“Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h is being restored,” he wrote Wednesday on X. “Removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defense.”
Musk blamed Trump for any continued speed disruptions for Starshield systems.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” he wrote Wednesday on X. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
The SpaceX founder also said Starlink usage should be “limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”
John Roberts, an American military veteran who serves as a senior adviser to Ukraine’s Third Army Corps, told The Washington Sun that the restrictions on Starlink could cause Ukrainian drones to lose their internet connection if they fly faster than 20 meters per second, or about 45 miles per hour, making it harder for them to intercept Russian attack drones.
“It’s extremely dangerous,” Roberts said. “We are very dependent on Starlink.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) specifically called out Musk for the reported disruptions and questioned whether SpaceX “is doing everything it can to fix a temporary glitch.”
“I’m confident this does not reflect a change in SpaceX policy because if so, intentionally degrading Ukraine’s ability to defend itself might be construed as aiding and abetting a mass murderer,” Tillis wrote Wednesday on X. “Can you confirm that’s not SpaceX’s intent?”
The Pentagon, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump recently clashed with Zelenskyy over Ukraine’s continued strikes on Russian oil refineries, a move that Trump said only exacerbates rising fuel prices for U.S. consumers. Zelenskyy pushed back Sunday in an interview with ABC, saying Trump and others are blaming Ukraine because it’s “more simple” but “everybody in the world understands because of the war in the Middle East, the prices are rising.”
Ukraine and Russia have traded strikes this week despite Trump declaring Sunday on Truth Social that the two countries had reached an “energy ceasefire” — a truce Zelenskyy said he did not know about until Trump’s announcement.
Zelenskyy told journalist Piers Morgan in an interview Wednesday that he felt “betrayed” by Trump’s announcement of the energy ceasefire. He also said it was a “pity” that Ukraine is losing America as a “strong partner” and attributed the relationship breakdown to U.S. actions.
“It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side,” Zelenskyy said. “But we are OK that he’s in the middle. But if you are in the middle, you have to stay in the middle, not on the wrong side.”
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