Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed to Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk to maintain his support for Ukraine as Ukrainian forces reported disruptions to military satellite communications amid intensifying Russian attacks.
Hillary Clinton Appeals to Elon Musk Over Ukraine
On Wednesday, Clinton took to X and urged Musk not to withdraw support from Ukrainians fighting Russia’s invasion.
“You’ve been an underdog and never quit fighting for your ideas,” Clinton wrote, addressing Musk directly. “Don’t abandon Ukrainians as they fight for their lives and freedom against an aggressor.”
She shared a Financial Times report titled “Ukraine blindsided by Starlink restrictions and intelligence gaps,” highlighting Kyiv’s concerns over satellite connectivity and intelligence support.
Starshield Restrictions Disrupt Ukraine’s Drone Operations
According to the report, Ukrainian military personnel and senior officials said drone units experienced satellite signal failures when traveling faster than approximately 100 mph, disrupting several missions early Wednesday.
Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces, operating on the southeastern front, said the restrictions affected Starshield, SpaceX’s military-focused satellite network designed for defense, government and intelligence applications.
Ukraine relies on satellite connectivity to support battlefield communications and drone operations. The reported disruptions came as Russia intensified attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Some Ukrainian officials reportedly speculated that the Donald Trump administration requested the restrictions.
The White House and SpaceX did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
Gerber Highlights Starshield’s Government Controls
Investor Ross Gerber weighed in on Musk’s distinction between Starshield and commercial Starlink.
On X, Gerber shared Musk’s response to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Fedorov said Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 km/h was being restored and urged Musk to remove Starshield’s speed limit.
Musk responded that the U.S. government controls Starshield restrictions, while SpaceX operates Starlink, which is limited to civilian and defensive use.
Reacting to this, Gerber said, “Elon is blaming Trump for throttling starlink and helping the enemies of America.”
Trump Denies Cutting Off Intelligence Sharing
The developments unfolded as Trump increased pressure on Kyiv to halt drone strikes against Russian oil refineries and pushed Ukraine toward concessions to end the war.
Trump has also threatened to curtail intelligence sharing, according to the report, but denied Wednesday that Washington had stopped providing intelligence to Ukraine.
“No, we haven’t. We help them,” Trump said. “We are helping them, we are sharing intel. We want the war to end.”
Trump said Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to pause attacks on energy infrastructure, announcing an immediate halt to a key area of the conflict. The statement followed his administration’s move to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports.
According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, SpaceX continues to show positive price trends across the short, medium and long term.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Evan El-Amin on Shutterstock.com
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