SpaceX boss Elon Musk said Wednesday that any disruptions reported by Ukraine in using the Starshield satellite communications system would be the responsibility of the US government, not his company.

“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk said, referring to US President Donald Trump.

Musk drew a distinction between the Starshield system, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications, and the parallel Starlink civilian satellite system, which Ukraine also deploys but is not allowed to use for offensive operations. Both were designed by Musk’s SpaceX.

Musk was responding to a post on X by Ukraine’s former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who said that “Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160km/h is being restored,” but that “removing Starshield’s speed limit entirely is now critical for Ukraine’s defence”.