US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Ukraine's Starlink access is a matter for SpaceX and Elon Musk, not the White House. His comments appear to shift the administration's position, and Reuters has cited officials who say the decision came from the White House.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that decisions on Ukraine's access to Starlink were up to SpaceX and Elon Musk, not the White House. The comments suggested Musk may have restricted Kyiv's access to the service.
Rubio calls Starlink a commercial matter
Rubio spoke to reporters during a trip to India. He said he was not aware that Washington knew about the decision beforehand, but called that irrelevant.
According to Rubio: "The bottom line is that that is governed by a private commercial contract", as to how the service can be used. Musk and SpaceX did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth also portrayed the Starlink cutoff as a commercial matter on Tuesday. No US official has publicly said, however, that they have pushed SpaceX to reverse any cutoffs.
Reports point to the White House
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Musk had ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on to defend itself against Russian missile attacks. The Journal cited one source saying Musk, President Donald Trump and White House officials discussed the matter beforehand.
Reuters, however, has cited two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter who say the decision ultimately came from the White House. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also asserted this version, but the administration denied it.
A shift from Rubio's earlier position
Departing for Uzbekistan and India on Saturday, Rubio had said no one ordered the slowdown, an assertion that drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties. His latest remarks also represent an apparent shift in position for the administration.
Rubio's comments are likely to intensify concerns in Washington about Musk's singular ability to influence US foreign policy.
Source: Reuters via Investing.com
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