// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Trump denies limiting Ukraine access to Starlink network
US President Donald Trump has denied limiting Ukraine's access to Starlink's sister internet network Starshield after it restricted drone speed, hampering Kyiv's ability to protect itself from Russian attacks.
"It wasn't me and I don't think it was [Starlink owner] Elon [Musk]," Trump said, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said speed had yet to be restored.
Musk himself suggested the US government might have been behind the restrictions, while Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that the order had come from inside the White House.
Ukraine was hit by several deadly strikes on Tuesday after the network slowdown.
Starlink is a civilian-use high-speed internet network operated by Musk's SpaceX. Starshield - which relies on Starlink- is its military-grade sister service that was designed for the Pentagon.
The US had previously warned it could withhold sharing intelligence, crucial for Kyiv's defences, if Ukraine did not stop hitting Russian oil refineries.
Tension has been brewing between Washington and Kyiv for days over a recent controversial diesel deal between Russia and the US.
Zelensky - angered by the deal - resumed targeting Russian oil refineries this week in a move criticised by Trump three days after he announced a ceasefire on energy infrastructure. Kyiv said it would stop the strikes if Russia did the same but Moscow never confirmed the ceasefire and continued its attacks.
"If I don't stand up to this... who else will?" Zelensky asked EU leaders at a summit on Friday.
Trump had also said that Zelensky was "more difficult to deal with than [Russian President Vladimir] Putin".