Ukraine faces grim question of whether it can take on Russia with less U.S. backing

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The disruptions this week in U.S. support for Ukraine have forced Kyiv to face a grim question: Can it stay in the fight against Russia without any of President Trump’s already diminished support? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has escalated a diplomatic assault, earlier this week accusing the Trump administration of throttling its access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite services and failing to offer standard intelligence on incoming Russian strikes. So far, U.S. weapons seem to still be flowing to Europe despite Trump’s turns in the war. Uncertainty continues to swirl around who chose to limit SpaceX’s Starshield function, which has since been restored, but Reuters reported Thursday that the order to limit the satellite system came from inside the White House. Leaders at the Defense Department reportedly were told that the service needed to be slowed.  Then on Friday, Trump said that neither he nor Musk caused the Starlink outage , telling reporters: “I didn’t do that. No, we didn’t do that at all.” The episode highlights a growing rift between the U.S. and Ukraine, a dispute that puts Kyiv in danger and all but makes sure its war with Russia will stretch on for the foreseeable future, according to Branislav Slantchev, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego. “This hurts Ukraine in more ways than just limiting its ability to operate on the frontlines,” Slantchev said.  He placed the blame squarely on the Pentagon for disrupting Ukraine's Starlink and Starshield satellite services, with the former used for defensive purposes on the battlefield and the latter used for offensive operations. Starshield is controlled by the U.S. government and was slowed on Tuesday.   He said the episode encourages Moscow to keep pushing with its demands including major territory concessions from Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin “estimates that the U.S. under Trump is on his side.”  “Essentially, this guarantees that the war will continue,” Slantchev told The Hill. “Ukraine is not going to lose the war because of limited Starshield connectivity, but it makes Ukraine's task of incapacitating Russia's ability to hurt it much, much harder.” Relations between Washington and Kyiv, already strained since Trump began his second term last year, were pushed to a new low last week after he announced he was lifting sanctions on Russian oil sales. The agreement allows diesel to enter the U.S. and global marketplace, giving Moscow a lifeline as it struggles to make gains on the battlefield. Trump’s decision to allow the sales appeared influenced by the high cost of diesel in the United States, which has become an issue in congressional races, particularly in the Midwest. Yet there are doubts among experts of whether the step will reduce diesel’s costs given the connection between the high prices and turbulence in the Straight of Hormuz. Zelensky has spoken out against the deal, saying he feels betrayed, criticism that Trump met with threats to cut off U.S. intelligence sharing. Trump also demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries, saying Zelensky should be replaced as president. Trump has argued the Ukrainian attacks on the Russian infrastructure have contributed to rising fuel prices. Washington insists it had not stopped intelligence sharing, but that was called into doubt on Tuesday after Ukraine noted the disruption in Starlink service after the country reportedly was not alerted by allies ahead of two Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv. The U.S. for more than four years has provided significant satellite and communications intelligence to Kyiv.  Zelensky’s defense tech adviser, Serhii Beskrestnov, said that SpaceX without warning had introduced speed limits on its Starlink satellite internet terminals overnight, which “led to the failure of a number of missions.” “It is obvious that this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation,” he said on Telegram. Zelensky then said Wednesday that the slowdown of Starlink was a “big mistake” and warned that Ukrainians could die if speeds were not restored. The Ukrainian leader also said that the U.S. is not “on the right side of history. Trump until Friday had remained quiet on the mystery surrounding the Starlink service. Musk has said Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government, deflecting any involvement.  “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk said in a post to X on Wednesday, referring to Trump. “Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.” Musk, who provided Starlink to Ukraine shortly after Russia invaded the country in February 2022, has turned off the satellite internet service in the past. In September 2022, as Ukraine was attempting to retake territory from Russia, Musk reportedly gave an order to turn off Starlink, putting Ukrainian troops in a communications blackout. On Thursday the gloves seemed to come off for Kyiv after it reportedly said that it conducted a strike overnight against a Russian oil refinery. Prior to that, Ukraine had said it would hold off on striking Kremlin energy targets at Trump’s request. But Moscow did not make a similar agreement and has continued to hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure ahead of a brutally cold and dark winter. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. This article originally appeared on The Hill at https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6154982-trump-starlink-ukraine-russia-fight/