Trump defends himself and Elon Musk after Zelenskiy's criticism over Starlink

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he did not think either ‌he or Elon Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access in a way that affected its military operations against Russia.

The reduction in services provided by the satellite ⁠company interrupted communications with headquarters and caused internet speeds to drop.

Reuters reported on Thursday that the White House approved the reduction in Starshield services.

Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House on a trip to Georgia, said neither he nor ‌Musk ⁠was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access.

Any limit to Ukraine's access to the Starshield system was not imposed by the United States, Trump ⁠added.

Starshield was developed by SpaceX specifically for government and national-security customers, particularly the US Department of ⁠Defense.

Starshield uses the Starlink constellation as its backbone.

Trump also said he has a ⁠good relationship with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Meanwhile, Zelenskiy took aim at Trump's diesel deal with Russia and welcomed the prospect of European allies stepping up their role in talks, calling Moscow's stance a "parody" of peace negotiations.

At a European Union summit in Brussels, ‌Zelenskiy said Russia did not want peace.

He added that Ukraine was still experiencing disruptions to the SpaceX Starshield satellite system used for battlefield operations and to down Russian drones attacking cities far from the frontline.