Elon Musk Ordered Slowdown On Military Starlink Assets In Ukraine

0:26This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You're ready to level up your business, but the pressure to find the right person to make that happen is intense. Indeed Sponsored Jobs can help carry the load. It boosts your job post to help it reach quality talent fast. Cut through the chaos with Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Get a$75 sponsored job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring now? Then this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Wednesday he was told by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the State Department is looking to restore Starlink connectivity in Ukraine, which was recently slowed and continues to limit Ukraine's defensive capabilities against Russia.

1:12Zelensky told Fox and Friends that Starlink connectivity is still limited in Ukraine, adding that Rubio told him he would work to unblock the slowdown. It comes as the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Musk ordered the capped speeds on Starlink assets in Ukraine, citing unnamed U.S. officials who said Musk and President Donald Trump discussed the decision before the slowdown was initiated. However, Musk said last week that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and Trump, who claimed Monday he did not know who was responsible for the slowdown. Rubio claimed Wednesday that Musk and SpaceX determine in Ukraine's access to Starlink, telling reporters in India, I'm not aware that we knew about this decision beforehand.

1:57Reuters reported last week that the instruction to throttle Starlink in Ukraine originated in the White House, citing two unnamed US officials and a Western official, though a senior official countered no such request was ever made by the president. The slowdown on Ukraine's Starlink connectivity began one week ago as the Trump administration urged Zelensky to cease strikes against Russia's oil infrastructure amid rising diesel prices in the U.S. Zelensky said the throttled speeds left some of Ukraine's offensive and defensive drones useless. Zelensky and Trump have jabbed at each other in recent weeks after a flimsy energy ceasefire announced by Trump failed.

2:34Following the announcement, Ukraine claimed Russia immediately attacked its energy infrastructure, with Zelensky saying it was clear that Putin doesn't read Truth Social, where Trump declared the ceasefire. Trump, who lifted some sanctions against Russia to help lower soaring fuel prices, told reporters last week, it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. SpaceX reported third quarter earnings on Thursday, with its $14.6 billion in quarterly revenue, marking a 161 % increase year over year. That boost pushed Elon Musk's net worth back above$1 trillion on Wednesday morning.

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