The move that shows Putin has Trump’s backing in Ukraine pressure campaign

Résumé détaillé

Kyiv has reported fresh disruptions to Starlink, crippling its air defences in the midst of negotiations to end the war ...

Vladimir Putin’s push to exact maximum concessions from Ukraine during negotiations to end the war has been given a surprise boost.

Ukrainian officials on Thursday reported fresh disruptions to satellite communications network Starlink, crippling the nation’s air defences in the midst of US-led talks.

“These are not random errors, but systematic speed restrictions,” Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in a social media post, suggesting the move was a deliberate ploy which may have been intended to undermine Kyiv’s negotiating position.

It is is the second time in as many months Ukraine has faced restrictions to the satellite communications network it relies upon to shoot down Russian drones, with SpaceX boss Elon Musk previously acknowledging his company limited Starlink access and claiming it had come in response to violations of the network’s user agreement.

Musk has not commented on the latest disruption, nor has the White House, which has left Ukrainian officials scrambling to understand why the restrictions have come back into force.

In a social media post on Thursday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian officials had reported “significant disruptions” to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, including an effective speed limit on drones of 161km/h.

“For us, this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones,” he added.

Ukraine’s air force reported Russia had launched missiles and 123 drones, 73 of which were jet-powered, in the hours before and during talks.

Zelenskyy said an extended disruption to Starshield would assist Russia in carrying out “more accurate strikes against Ukraine”, potentially leading to civilian deaths and the destruction of critical infrastructure.

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