In brief: Despite the still unexplained speed limitations imposed on Ukraine by the Starshield satellite network last month, Kyiv is pushing for renewal of the agreement with the US government due to expire in mid-2027.
Reuters reported on comments made by Denys Sienik, Ukraine’s Deputy Ambassador to Washington, in relation to the contract with the US government for access to Starshield – the military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network.
With the contract for the system set to expire in mid-2027, Sienik said Kyiv was pushing for negotiations on new terms for continued use of the system.
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“The contract expires next year for Starshield. And we understand that it requires time to negotiate a new one,” Sienik said. “Now is actually the time.”
Ukraine’s military was searching for possible alternatives following last month’s unexpected speed limitations that directly impacted drone and counter-drone operations.
Addressing reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast on Thursday, Sienik said Kyiv had not received a satisfactory explanation as to why the restrictions were put in place, either from the White House, Pentagon, or SpaceX.
According to him, “nobody provided answers.”
However, “good news is that it has been resolved, and our military can further do their work… Do we want another situation like that? Definitely not” Sienik added.
He went on to say: “As I speak now, we are in the process of starting” those negotiations with Washington, specifically with leaders inside the Pentagon, adding: “I hope that the contract will be signed, and terms of reference will be negotiated, we will have funding, and we’ll be able to defend ourselves.”
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Ukraine’s adoption of Starlink/Starshield
While a few Ukrainian technology enthusiasts purchased and experimented with individual Starlink terminals as early as December 2021, Ukraine did not begin officially using the system until shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. This followed a massive cyberattack on Ukraine’s existing KA-SAT ViaSat satellite communications network.
Within a few days after Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation requested Musk to activate the service over Ukraine, the service was switched on, and the first shipments of Starlink terminals arrived and were deployed into the field. It provided Internet connectivity for Ukrainian forces from SpaceX satellites in low-Earth orbit.
In December 2024, Ukraine’s military began transitioning its communication and drone-control use onto the Starshield system.
According to Atlantic news, the US agreed to the use of the military-encrypted version of the commercial Starlink service as it gave the Pentagon increased operational oversight of its use by Ukraine. In turn, it enabled Ukrainian forces to better deploy long-range drone strikes and strengthen its air defenses.
Why did the US place restrictions on Starshield?
As reported by TIME magazine and others, Ukrainian forces reported on Oct.14 that they had lost some access to Starshield and were experiencing speed restrictions that had been imposed without warning, leaving operations hampered.
Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, an advisor on military technology issues to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said restrictions had led to the “failure” of ongoing military missions, which he felt was “related to the current political situation.”
US media reported that it was around the time that restrictions were put in place that US President Donald Trump announced a deal to import Russian diesel with Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned Ukraine to stop striking Moscow’s refineries.
This led to questions about what had changed and why was the Starshield system impacted: Was it a technical glitch, or did someone inside the US government or Elon Musk give an order to restrict Kyiv’s use?
Some commentators suggested that it had been Musk that initiated the “slow down” despite his claims that Starshield is controlled solely by the US government.
In an interview on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Zelensky suggested that the problems his forces were experiencing with Starlink, along with a drop in US supplied intelligence, was politically motivated, before later adding that he hoped the incident was only a “mistake” brought about “a huge technical problem” at SpaceX.
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