// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Musk says any limits on Ukraine's Starlink access down to US, not his firm
Elon Musk has suggested that the US government may be behind restrictions on the speed at which some of Ukraine's weapons can travel and stay connected to SpaceX's Starlink internet network.
Starlink is a vital tool allowing Kyiv to guide drones to Russian targets and also protect its own skies, but on Tuesday night Ukraine said unexpected new speed limits were disrupting its battlefield missions.
An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed the restrictions were not a coincidence and were related to the latest strains between Kyiv and Washington.
Musk said that Starshield, the military-grade sister service to Starlink, is controlled by the US government, and "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately [the US president]".
Musk - writing on X - had been responding to pleas from Ukrainian officials to restore connectivity, including from Zelensky who told UK media: "I hope that it's a mistake, maybe [a] huge technical problem. I don't know, but we are asking to... switch [it] on."
Starlink, which is owned by Musk's SpaceX, restricted speed limits on Tuesday night to 100mph (160km/h), meaning any weapons that travelled faster than that lost connectivity to the network.
It had been partially restored by Wednesday evening, Ukraine's former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.
"Removing Starshield's speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine's defense," he wrote on X, thanking Elon Musk and asking for his "continued support".
About an hour later, Musk replied to that post, defending his company's involvement.
"Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," he wrote.