Volodymyr Zelensky accused Donald Trump of “betraying” Ukraine on Wednesday night after access to vital satellite data was withdrawn, while Elon Musk also said the US president ultimately controls the disputed system.
The Ukrainian president said it was a “pity that we are losing a strong partner” and warned that “people will die” after Ukraine’s access to the Starshield satellite defence network was restricted.
Zelensky spoke during a visit to the UK, where he met the King and Prime Minister Andy Burnham as he sought support following a bruising week.
In recent days, Trump has called for Zelensky to step down, signed what Kyiv described as a “treacherous” agreement with Vladimir Putin to buy Russian diesel, blamed the Ukrainian leader for rising energy prices and surprised him with a fabricated ceasefire that Russia has since obliterated.
Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that its access to the SpaceX satellite network had been “throttled”, disrupting crucial Ukrainian strikes against Russian military targets.
The military said Elon Musk’s platform had placed a “speed limit” on Starshield, SpaceX’s defence-focused service. Trump denied that his administration had played any role in the decision.
Musk, however, directly contradicted that claim, saying Starshield was controlled by the US president rather than SpaceX’s commercial Starlink division.
He wrote: “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately Potus [the US President].”
Zelensky accused Donald Trump of “betrayal” after Ukraine lost access to crucial satellite data
Donald Trump denied that his administration had been involved in the restrictions on the data
A bloodied Ukrainian woman kneels on the ground after her apartment building was struck by a Russian missile
Speaking to Piers Morgan Uncensored, Zelensky agreed that he felt “betrayed” by Trump’s actions in recent days. He also warned the president: “This is not the right side of history.”
His comments came as Vladimir Putin continued to bombard Ukraine, with 39 ballistic missiles hitting Kharkiv and Kyiv overnight on Tuesday and into Wednesday.
Disturbing images showed a blood-covered woman crouching in the street after apartment buildings in the capital were set ablaze. At least three people were killed and dozens more injured.
Attacks on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure also plunged the city into darkness, cutting power to 600,000 residents.
The barrage was Moscow’s largest assault on Ukraine since Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” with the Kremlin the previous week.
Zelensky described the bombardment as “entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale”.
“Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the US,” he said, adding that 26 power facilities and four oil and gas terminals had been damaged.
Trump’s poll ratings are falling amid rising fuel costs, which are largely attributed to his disastrous war with Iran. Despite this, he has focused his criticism on Kyiv’s attacks against Russian oil refineries.
Smoke and flames rise from an apartment building in Kyiv after Russian strikes this week
Elon Musk insisted any limit on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite system must have been ordered by Trump
Last night, Zelensky said: ‘It is a pity that we are losing a strong partner. It is painful when President Trump chooses one side – not our side… I think his advisers are wrong. I don’t know who is pushing him… This is not the right side of history.’
Despite Zelensky pausing his own strikes on Russian oil refineries, Washington has not called out the Kremlin’s flagrant violation of the supposed truce.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: What Happened To Stella Magz? Tragedy Explained In Tiktok – NewsFinale
Instead, Ukrainian drone pilots targeting logistics behind enemy lines suddenly found their Starshield feed cut off overnight on Tuesday.
After a complaint was made, SpaceX customer support informed the armed forces that Starshield was restricted to travelling at 100mph.
If they travel above that speed – which missile-strike drones must to evade Russian defences – the feed cuts and pilots get no live view. This has also limited Ukraine’s new interceptor drones which use Starlink to target Russian Shahed ‘suicide’ drones.
There were reports of the feeds cutting above 45mph, with some brigades claiming connections have been cut entirely. But Ukraine’s defence ministry said last night that lower restrictions had been removed, though the 100mph limit remained in place.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelensky on defence technologies, said yesterday: ‘Our forces were not given notice of this limit, and this has resulted in the disruption of a number of missions.
‘This action is clearly not a coincidence and is related to the current political situation.’
Zelensky and Burnham embraced as the Ukrainian leader arrived at Downing Street on Wednesday
Zelensky also met the King at Buckingham Palace – as he has on several previous occasions
Colonel Aleksandr Grom told the Daily Mail: ‘This is a critical restriction. Without any exaggeration, it means ten times more innocent people killed while sleeping in their homes.’
‘Trump is discrediting the entire democratic world order for the sake of his fleeting ambitions to be a “peacemaker”,’ he added.
Trump announced a deal with Putin last week to buy hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel. When Zelensky criticised this as a ‘weak decision by strong partners’, the US leader declared it is ‘time for Ukraine to get a new president’.
Meanwhile, Zelensky was hugged by Andy Burnham as he arrived at Downing Street yesterday in a show of support from Britain in the face of US hostility.
During his London visit, the Ukrainian president said: ‘Our people, we survived and continue to do this because we have strong partners, and I’m very proud that we have one of the strongest partners in our history and it’s your people, Andy.’
Mr Burnham said recent days had been ‘dark and difficult’ for Ukraine.
He told Mr Zelensky: ‘You have seen the solidarity and the support you have got from everybody here in Britain. We are behind you and that will not change.’
Earlier, during PMQs, the Prime Minister had promised that the Ukrainian leader would not be ‘going away from Britain today empty-handed’.
But he stopped short of labelling Mr Trump’s behaviour a ‘shameful betrayal’ when invited to by Lib Dem MP Ed Davey, insisting his role was to ‘try and repair bridges so the support comes back’.
It came after King Charles earlier welcomed the Ukrainian President in the Chinese Dining Room of Buckingham Palace.
They then moved through to the King’s private audience room for discussions which lasted around 25 minutes.
Mr Zelensky wrote on X afterwards: ‘I thank His Majesty King Charles III for the audience.
‘It is important for me to have the opportunity to personally thank him for his unwavering support for Ukraine.
‘We appreciate all the assistance provided by the United Kingdom.’
MORE ON THIS: The Decline of Once Popular Hollywood Star Olivier Martinez