The US has resumed sharing intelligence with Ukraine, but Starlink access is limited, says Zelenskyy
The U.S. has resumed sharing intelligence with Ukraine, including information on Russian ballistic missile launches. At the same time, the Starlink and Starshield communication systems are still operating with restrictions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about this during an appearance on Fox News.
Negotiations with the U.S.
Zelenskyy stated that the resumption of intelligence sharing took place following his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 19. In particular, Ukrainian units are once again aware of Russian ballistic missile launches.
“This was critically important for us. It was very dangerous not to receive advance warnings about ballistic attacks from Russia. Now it’s working,”
– the head of state assured.
Despite this, Starlink and Starshield are operating within the Ukrainian Defense Forces with certain limitations. According to Zelenskyy, Rubio promised to continue working to resolve this issue.
The EU is outraged by Starlink’s restrictions
As reported by “Interfax-Ukraine,” Brussels has criticized SpaceX’s restrictions on Ukraine. Thomas Renier, a spokesperson for the European Commission on defense, technology, and space, emphasized that the corporation is violating the agreements.
Recent reports that Starlink has restricted its services in Ukraine are deeply concerning and contradict the company’s previous commitments regarding the provision of these services. SpaceX must urgently resume full service provision in Ukraine, as the country critically needs communication – both to maintain contact between the military and the civilian population and to control drones used to defend the territory,
– Thomas Renier urged.
The agency’s spokesperson also stated that the hostilities have clearly demonstrated Europe’s dependence on space technologies for its security.
Europe must be more proactive in this area – it is an urgent necessity for us. That is precisely why we are actively working on the deployment and development of the Iris² system – a constellation consisting of more than 300 satellites,
– Renier added.
The European Commission representative explained that the project is designed to create secure satellite communications for civilian and military needs. “We will certainly fully involve Ukraine in this project,” Renier assured.
As a reminder, in mid-October, the U.S. restricted the operation of Starshield terminals while they were moving at speeds over 160 kilometers per hour. This restriction hindered, in particular, the operation of Ukrainian interceptor drones against Russian air targets.