Kyiv Moves to Secure New Starshield Agreement Before Mid‑2027 Expiry and Seeks Backup Options

WASHINGTON — With Ukraine’s Starshield contract expiring in mid‑2027, a senior Ukrainian official said Kyiv is now negotiating a new agreement with Washington and exploring stopgap measures to ensure uninterrupted satellite communications. 

“As I speak now, we are in the process of starting” negotiations with U.S. defense leaders, particularly inside the Pentagon, Chargé d’Affaires Denys Sienik told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast today. 

“I hope that the contract will be signed, and terms of reference will be negotiated, we will have funding, and we’ll be able to defend ourselves,” he added.

Ukraine relies on SpaceX’s Starshield—the military variant of Starlink—for drone operations against Russian threats. In October, however, Ukrainian officials reported a sudden network change that they linked to drone and defense failures resulting in military and civilian casualties. Sienik said the Pentagon and SpaceX have still not provided an explanation, though the system “is working now” and the issue appears resolved. 

The October incident coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel and his warning that Ukraine should not strike Russian refineries. The timing raised questions about whether the Starshield disruption was a technical glitch or a deliberate order from within the U.S. government or SpaceX, possibly involving CEO Elon Musk. 

“We still don’t have [an] answer from Pentagon and SpaceX [about] what has happened,” Sienik noted, adding that the network is operational again. “Good news is that it has been resolved, and our military can further do their work… Do we want another situation like that? Definitely no,” he said. 

Despite the October problems, Sienik emphasized that Ukraine needs a new Starshield contract because there is “no effective alternative” to the low‑Earth‑orbit satellite system. He added that Kyiv is working on domestic capabilities and that European partners are also developing their own systems, noting that having a backup is always advisable. 

Sienik’s remarks followed the U.S. mid‑term elections, with Democrats poised to regain control of Congress. Lawmakers are expected to launch oversight hearings on a range of defense‑related topics, including Starshield and the slow disbursement of roughly $400 million in military air aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have indicated they will answer any questions from legislators while respecting domestic sensitivities, and they reiterated their need for additional U.S. air‑defense assets such as Patriot interceptors and more F‑16 fighter jets. 

“The issue with the existing F‑16s is that they are old, and we overuse them because they are super effective: we don’t have enough of them,” Sienik explained, underscoring the urgency for newer platforms to sustain Ukraine’s air‑defence and strike capabilities. 

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