Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv disputes Musk’s Starlink claims as Zelensky says peace talks to resume
Zelensky announces trilateral meeting with Russia and the US in November
A Ukrainian official has contested Elon Musk’s claims that its military violated the terms of use for Starlink’s communications system, leading to restrictions on Kyiv's access to high-speed satellite technology.
Having previously blamed the decision to throttle Kyiv's Starlink access on the White House, Musk said on Saturday that the Ukrainian military used Starlink “for offensive drone strikes to kill people”, in contravention to the terms of use.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky, rejected that claim, arguing the restrictions would have made it “physically impossible” for Ukraine to use Starlink in the types of strikes he described.
“It is very strange that Elon Musk is unaware of the operational limitations of Starlink in Ukraine,” he said noting, that Starlink’s civilian system in Ukraine “does not function over the territory of Russia”.
Ukraine said over the weekend that its access to high-speed services via Starlink and Starshield satellite communications had been restored.
Meanwhile, Zelensky has said there will be a three-way meeting involving US, Ukrainian and Russian officials in November.
In a post on X, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for talks between technical groups, while also renewing his push for talks at a leadership level.
