Why have US-Ukraine relations soured ahead of the midterms?

For two nights this week the Ukrainian military were stunned by apparent restrictions on its access to Starshield – the satellite internet service owned by billionaire Elon Musk – and claimed that US intelligence warnings had also been cut off, leaving civilians especially vulnerable to ballistic missile attacks. The restrictions occurred amid simmering tensions between Washington and Kyiv and sparked concerns that the US was pulling back on intelligence-sharing with Ukraine after ratcheting up rhetoric against Zelensky. Read moreWhat is Starshield, SpaceX's military version of Starlink? Zelensky said in an interview during a visit to the UK on Wednesday that he felt betrayed by the US. Connectivity to Starshield – which is a SpaceX satellite internet service reserved for military use – was restored on Thursday, Ukrainian authorities said. But much damage was already done. As well as multiple casualties from Russia’s overnight attacks, the restrictions revived fears in Kyiv that the US is an essential but increasingly unreliable ally. Zelensky called for “honesty” on Thursday after Musk denied responsibility for the lapse – saying the Pentagon was responsible for any restrictions t...