Satellite links in Ukraine are back at full speed after week-long slowdown

Ukraine's satellite connections returned to their prior operating speeds Saturday after more than a week of restrictions, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He wrote on X that the change started overnight. "The most important thing today is that Starlink and Starshield operations have been restored to the speeds we had before the restrictions," Zelenskyy wrote. "The speeds are now where they need to be."

The country's Defense Ministry reported that its monitoring systems measured connectivity holding steady above 250 mph. During the restrictions, speeds had been held near 100 mph, a level the ministry said slowed drone interception efforts and disrupted missions. Starlink carries drone operations, food and water deliveries to soldiers, and communications along the front line. Zelenskyy also said the service helps defend against Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia.

Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara attributed the recovery to "direct dialogue" by Zelenskyy. "This result is important, above all, for our front line, for service members, for drone operations, logistics, and communications," he said. In his post, Zelenskyy thanked "all Americans," naming members of Congress, the State Department and President Trump.

How the slowdown began became a point of friction between Washington and Kyiv. Ukrainian officials told NBC's Meet the Press that they believed the U.S. government was responsible, saying SpaceX acted on a "message from [the] American government." On Oct. 14, Elon Musk wrote on X that Starshield belongs to and is operated by the U.S. government, adding that "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS." The Trump administration has denied interfering with Ukraine's access to Starshield. Speaking to reporters Friday, Trump would not say who ordered the restrictions. "I wouldn't tell you if I did know," he said.

The restoration arrives as the United States pushes for peace talks. Russia has agreed to a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and the United States next month. The two sides have also agreed to a localized ceasefire in Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine held by Russia. The White House said First Lady Melania Trump brokered that deal, which covers humanitarian aid and civilian evacuation amid a growing food crisis in the city. Fighting continued elsewhere. On Saturday, Ukraine struck a chemical plant in the Russian city of Tolyatti, while a Russian drone hit a residential building in Kyiv's Obolon District and set off a fire.