Ukraine and the U.S. are at odds over Starshield. Here's what to know

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP hide caption Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. officials remain at odds over disruptions to a key satellite communications service used by the Ukrainian military. Zelenskyy told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday he believes the U.S. government is behind his military's loss of normal access to the Starshield and Starlink services, claiming tech firm SpaceX imposed the restrictions in response to a "message from [the] American government." Warning that the U.S. siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a "historic mistake," the Ukrainian leader claimed that the Starshield system has not been fully restored, despite what U.S. government officials have said publicly. In a post on X over the weekend, Zelenskyy said the restrictions on the system have hindered Ukraine's ability to intercept weapons launched by Russia, calling the consequences "very painful and unpleasant." The dispute comes after days of back and forth between Ukraine and the United States over the Starshield system. What ...