Ukraine Alleges Fresh Starlink Military Disruptions as U.S. Envoys Meet Putin in Moscow

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine’s armed forces are once again encountering “systematic” limitations on Starlink’s military-grade service, complicating Kyiv’s efforts to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.

Starshield, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, remains critical to front-line military operations.

Speaking at a European Political Community summit in Dublin, Zelensky said Ukraine was seeking clarification from the United States, even as U.S. envoys held meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Zelensky added that “some things” were already evident: “If someone in America is making decisions that effectively treat Ukrainian territory as though it is not Ukrainian, that tells us where things are headed.”

He offered no further details.

A comparable Starshield connectivity disruption affected the front line in late October and persisted for roughly a week before being resolved. At the time, it was unclear who authorized the temporary restrictions, as U.S. officials and SpaceX provided conflicting accounts.

Zelensky said the current outage has continued for several days and is “helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine.”

The remarks follow meetings in Moscow between U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff and President Putin, held one day after the most recent round of talks on ending the war in Ukraine concluded in Abu Dhabi.

Kushner and Witkoff are expected to travel next to Dublin to meet with Zelensky.

Russian media footage broadcast Thursday showed Kushner and Witkoff disembarking from an aircraft and receiving handshakes and hugs from Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev.

Later, they proceeded to the Kremlin for a meeting with Putin and three of his senior advisors.

In remarks aired by Russian media, Putin asked the U.S. envoys to extend his “gratitude” to First Lady Melania Trump for her role in last month’s Kherson region ceasefire, which facilitated the evacuation of hundreds of civilians from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.

Putin then proposed a comparable five-day ceasefire for Kostyantynivka, a contested front-line city in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Kyiv is unlikely to accept, as it disputes Moscow’s claim of full control over the town, and a truce could enable Russian forces to make a final push to seize it.

The separate in-person meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents were announced only on Wednesday, following two days of discussions centered on Europe’s postwar security architecture.

Nearly five years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow shows no indication of abandoning its maximalist demands for sovereign Ukrainian territory or of Western countries relinquishing future security commitments to Kyiv.

On Thursday, Putin reiterated that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine is “unacceptable” to Russia, and said he wants the United States to engage with Europe “so that the Europeans can decide what they truly want: peace or war.”

In the early years of the war, European governments severed communications with the Kremlin and refused direct engagement with Russia.

Recently, however, many have expressed concern over the current U.S. administration’s commitment to European security and its perceived softening toward the Kremlin, prompting calls for a European seat at the negotiating table.

The Abu Dhabi talks, led by the United States and including only Russia and Ukraine, preceded Kushner’s statement that he and Witkoff would ask Putin to “give his blessing” to including European representatives in future discussions—particularly regarding the future configuration of the continent’s security architecture.

Kushner also urged Europe to “identify one person to speak on their behalf” in the negotiations.

Moscow has opposed the idea, citing Europe’s support for Kyiv as an obstacle.

Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi, said he believed all parties had “moved closer to achieving peace,” but added that now “a lot depends on Ukraine, on the position of the United States, and on whether Europe comes to its senses.”

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