Elon Musk is taking heat from Republicans over his decision to restrict Ukraine’s access to Starlink, the satellite internet service that has become a big part of its fight against Russia.
Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw says Elon’s explanation makes little sense when Ukrainian troops are using drones to stop an invasion.
This raises a more far-reaching issue for Washington to consider as well: Why does one company have such control over communications during an ongoing war?
This situation has pulled Trump back into yet another conflict with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. There was already an ongoing spat between the two countries due to the new deal the United States had made with Russia, and this further complicates matters.
Republicans push back against Elon’s explanation for the Starlink limits
Crenshaw, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, disagrees with Elon’s statement about a violation of SpaceX service conditions by Ukraine. In his statements on social media, Elon accused Ukraine of using SpaceX’s network to conduct offensive drone attacks on civilians.
However, Crenshaw finds it obvious that the line cannot be drawn at that point when a country is fighting in a war.
“What do you think defending your country is? Of course these drones have been used to kill people. They’ve been used to kill Russians for years, but inside Ukraine.”
Ukraine relies on satellite links to connect troops, pass battlefield information, and operate equipment where ordinary communications can fail. This month, users experienced slower connections on both Starlink and Starshield, the military-focused version of SpaceX’s system. For a while, there was no clear public answer about who had imposed the limits or why.
However, Elon Musk finally tried to sort out part of the problem through the Internet, but those in power in support of Kyiv remained unsatisfied with the answer provided.
Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina and another one not seeking re-election, expressed his opinion about why the Western countries’ alliances started to depend on the technologies that could be disabled by the decision of a single company.
“Are you telling me that we don’t know something as important as a tool that’s being used by our Western nations is subject to the whims of one CEO. Shame on whoever is responsible for it ever having a lapse.”
Crenshaw, whose term ends in January, was careful not to turn the issue into a personal attack on Elon. His concern is the lack of a workable backup if SpaceX changes how its products can be used.
“What I worry about is an entire conflict, an entire defense of a sovereign country like Ukraine being dependent on one company.”
Trump’s diesel deal with Putin fuels another dispute with Kyiv
Earlier this month, Trump struck an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin that would hold off further tightening of US sanctions on Russia in return for diesel shipments meant to bring down fuel costs.
Today, Russia has already offered to sell as much diesel fuel as desired by customers, up to the total volume that Russia can export. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin.
“As much as our partners want, frankly, from the volume we will be exporting. We can supply all of it.”
Russian outlet RIA Novosti reported that Alexander had previously estimated possible October shipments to the United States and other markets at 500,000 metric tons.
Trump announced the deal on October 9 after speaking with Putin. His timetable called for more than 300,000 tons to enter US and global markets immediately, another 500,000 tons in November, and 1 million tons after that.
Prices of diesel in the United States were going for more than six dollars per gallon when the first Russian cargo was expected to reach New York. Trump is looking forward to reducing costs of fuel before the November 3rd midterm elections, especially for farmers, ranchers, and truck drivers who rely on diesel daily.
Zelenskyy accused Trump in a Bloomberg interview last weekend of trying to force Kyiv to give in to Moscow. Trump denied ordering the Starlink speed restrictions and complained that Zelenskyy was more difficult to deal with than Putin.
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had spoken directly to Elon and asked him to lift the restrictions on Starlink services in Ukraine.
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