Zelenskyy thanks Trump for resumed intelligence sharing after US Starlink ‘message’; The Guardian, October 18, 2026

Andrew Roth and Sam Jones, The Guardian; Zelenskyy thanks Trump for resumed intelligence sharing after US Starlink ‘message’

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday thanked the Trump administration for resuming intelligence sharing between the two countries, but maintained the US had intentionally throttled its Starlink satellite internet access so that Donald Trump could send a “message” in his ongoing feud with the Ukrainian president.

In an interview on NBC, Zelenskyy said the US had “unblocked” intelligence on impending Russian ballistic missile strikes, which have pounded the country’s energy infrastructure as winter draws in.

“It was blocked for some period of time. And then it was deblocked by the American side. We are very thankful for this. Now it works,” Zelenskyy told NBC’s Meet the Press. “Only [the] United States has this unique intelligence to tell our side when Russia uses ballistic missiles. And we didn’t get it during ballistic attacks during three days.”

Zelenskyy also said that Elon Musk’s SpaceX was responsible for suddenly limiting the speed at which Starlink terminals worked in Ukraine, hampering drone operations on the frontlines as well as some air defence missions.

“It was a message from [the] American government to limit the speed,” he said. “And technically, SpaceX did it.”

GOP senators press Pentagon over Ukraine’s loss of Starshield data; The Hill, October 16, 2026

ALEXANDER BOLTON , The Hill; GOP senators press Pentagon over Ukraine’s loss of Starshield data

"Four Republican senators have joined their Democratic colleagues in pressing the Trump administration for information about whether Pentagon officials ordered restrictions on Ukraine’s access to the satellite-based Starshield network, which Ukrainian officials said limited their ability to intercept Russian drones.

Ukraine needs access to fast Starshield data speeds to operate drones along with fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, which are critical to its national defense.

Ukraine’s full access to Starshield-provided data was quickly restored Wednesday, prompting speculation on Capitol Hill that President Trump didn’t make the call to cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine but that the decision may have come from senior officials.

Four Republican senators — including two senior members of the Senate Intelligence Committee — signed a bipartisan letter to Platte Moring, the Pentagon’s inspector general, demanding he investigate whether any Department of Defense (DOD) or other U.S. government officials “directed” or “authorized” changes to intelligence-sharing arrangements or Starlink and Starshield services affecting Ukraine."