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Donald Trump comments on Ukraine conflict and Starlink usage

Donald Trump has addressed the military situation in Ukraine and discussions about Starlink, while Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that only the Ukrainian people should decide on the presidency.

17 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Donald Trump comments on Ukraine conflict and Starlink usage — Archive photoPhoto: Gage Skidmore · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Former US President Donald Trump has made several statements regarding Ukraine. He noted that there are many targets in Russia that Ukraine could strike and criticized the Ukrainian campaign against Russian refineries as a 'shame.' At the same time, he stated that the decision about who should be president of Ukraine belongs to the Ukrainian people, without elaborating on how this should be determined.

In another context, Trump pointed out that he had no knowledge of any directive to limit the use of Starshield in Ukraine. He confirmed in response to a question that he had not restricted this military version of the Starlink system, and he was unaware of who might have issued such limitations.

According to a report from The Telegraph, Elon Musk proposed to Trump the idea of slowing down the use of Starlink for Ukrainian military purposes. This information comes from multiple sources and has been picked up by various media outlets. Trump supported the initiative, leading to the Pentagon imposing restrictions.

These restrictions pertain to the military application of Starshield, particularly concerning drone systems that fly faster than 160 kilometers per hour. Experts noted that such measures complicate Ukraine's current drone defense capabilities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a test in the European Union showed that the limitations on Starlink speed applied only to Ukraine and not other EU countries. During these remarks, he mentioned that Starshield systems continue to operate with restrictions in Ukraine.

Discussions about the use of Starlink and the roles of Musk and Trump in the context of the Ukraine conflict continue. While both parties deny their direct responsibility for the restrictions, it remains unclear how this will impact Ukraine's military capabilities in the future.

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