Ukrainian Adviser Confirms Renewed Starshield Speed Limit as Kushner and Witkoff Meet Putin in Moscow

Since Ukraine said on Oct. 24 that Starshield speeds had been restored, the satellite service has again been throttled for several days, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The latest development: a second senior Ukrainian voice has now backed the claim, and it lands on the same day U.S. envoys sit down with Vladimir Putin.

Adviser backs Zelensky's account

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense tech adviser to Zelensky, confirmed Thursday, Nov. 12, that "the speed of Starlink operation during movement was again limited."

"We did not rejoice for long," he said. "Any terms can be changed and discussed, instead of leaving our country without sky protection."

Zelensky wrote on X early Thursday that units had recorded "significant disruptions" along the entire front line and in occupied territory. He said Ukraine's military investigated and concluded these "are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions."

He said the limit is 161 km/h (100 mph). Terminals moving faster are disconnected. Zelensky said the briefing came from Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi.

What the cap does to interception

The practical problem is Russian jet-powered drones, which fly faster than the cap allows connected Ukrainian interceptors to travel.

"Unfortunately, there have already been strikes that got through because our interception systems cannot reach sufficient speeds and are unable to intercept in time," Zelensky said. He added that the restrictions are "helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes."

The service normally holds a stable connection at speeds above roughly 250 mph (about 400 km/h). Ukraine's Defense Ministry said connections at those speeds were restored on Oct. 24.

Zelensky said Kyiv is "trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side."

Who ordered it is still disputed

The October episode never produced a settled answer. Ukrainian forces first recorded terminals dropping out at around 160 km/h overnight on Oct. 13-14. Ukrainian officials publicly accused SpaceX of undermining the country's defense on Oct. 14.

The Wall Street Journal reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk ordered those restrictions, leaving some Ukrainian strike and interceptor drones close to unusable. The paper later reported that President Donald Trump asked Musk to reverse course. Trump denied that the White House ordered any restriction.

Musk first wrote on X that "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government." He later claimed Ukraine had violated Starlink's terms of service, which prompted the company to restrict access. Ukrainian officials strongly dispute that. The U.S. government has said any such decision could only have been taken by Musk.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new claim. The White House has not publicly addressed it.

Beskrestnov added context last month: Ukraine cannot use commercial Starlink for medium- or long-range drone strikes because it does not operate over Russian territory, and commercial service had imposed drone speed limits of 70-90 km/h for months.

Envoys in Moscow, then Dublin

Kushner and Witkoff met Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev greeted them at the airport. The Kremlin aides Yuri Ushakov, Dmitriev and Vladimir Medinsky were present, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The meeting came a day after two days of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi ended without a ceasefire or peace deal. Those talks did produce an agreement in principle on what Kushner called the largest prisoner exchange of the war. Ukraine's delegation head, Rustem Umerov, confirmed the swap.

Kushner said the Moscow stop was meant to finalize plans for more humanitarian relief and prisoner releases. He also wants Putin's blessing to add Europeans to future talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Europeans could eventually join, but that their current statements "don't indicate any desire on their part to contribute to movement along the path toward peace."

NBC News noted that Ukraine, in October, also accused the U.S. of failing to share intelligence on incoming Russian attacks. The White House denied it.

Kyiv still holds parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and has rejected Putin's demand that it hand over the rest of Donbas for peace.

What to watch

Kushner and Witkoff are expected to travel to Dublin after Moscow to brief Zelensky, who is in Ireland. Zelensky has said Kyiv is working the Starshield issue directly with Washington. Neither Washington nor SpaceX has said who imposed the limit or whether it will be lifted, and the answer will determine how many more Russian drones Ukraine can intercept while talks continue.