Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth are prime suspects behind decision to ‘slow down’ Starlink satellite system in Ukraine

A trio of prime suspects behind the US decision to blunt Ukraine’s war effort using Starlink satellites have been named as Elon Musk, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump himself. 

Washington sources have told The Mail On Sunday that any one of the three – or all of them – may be behind the abrupt stifling of Mr Musk’s Starlink communications channel, and its military grade equivalent Starshield, which has stunned Ukraine’s Generals. 

Both systems were dialled down this week so that they could not detect 100mph-plus drones, missiles or aircraft entering Ukrainian airspace. 

The speed cap instantly undermined the country’s attempts to shoot down incoming attacks while several offensive drone missions failed, according to Kyiv officials.

Speaking at an EU conference in Belgium on Saturday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had ‘evidence’ proving Starlink was being deliberately slowed in a ‘planned operation’. 

He claimed tests inside EU territory showed Ukrainian drones dependent on the satellites ran at slower speeds, and eventually cut out, when flown in Ukraine.

‘The conclusion is clear: the restrictions are in effect within Ukraine but do not apply within the European Union,’ he said. 

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man whose company SpaceX operates the satellites, has been accused by unidentified US officials of suggesting a speed cap, which Mr Trump then signed off. 

However, Mr Musk rejected this, insisting that only the Pentagon and the President could have made such an order. 

Some insiders believe it came from Mr Hegseth, who is said to be currying favour with Mr Trump amid reports that he faces the sack.

‘It’s of course possible that all three worked together to pull it off,’ said a national security analyst for a Democratic senator, speaking anonymously like other staffers to protect his job. 

‘The intrigue is thick and the conjecture rampant,’ he added, calling it ‘somewhere between a John le Carré novel, Machiavelli and Star Trek.’ 

Mr Trump has suspended new sanctions on Russia just one week after making a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide 300,000 tons of diesel fuel for the US.

Congressional staffers have told The Mail On Sunday that the White House may have staged the Starlink episode to strong-arm President Zelenskyy into halting strikes on Russian oil refineries and surrendering. 

However, a senior White House official claimed that ‘no such request was ever made by the President.’

Other sources have said it wasn’t a high-level policy decision, suggesting instead it came from the Pentagon or Space Force, the branch that works most closely with SpaceX. 

A Pentagon official told the MoS the request did not come from Mr Hegseth. Another scoffed at the White House denial, adding: ‘The Pentagon doesn’t do anything unless directed [by Trump].’

A civilian Pentagon source insisted: ‘Hegseth would have known he needed a green light from his boss.’

However, others disagreed. ‘This is the sort of thing that does not normally rise to the level of Trump,’ said a former senior presidential aide. 

‘Hegseth probably never told the president he was going to do this, but he probably signed off on doing it.’

An Army officer who works part time at the Pentagon said: ‘I wouldn’t put it past him. … (He) knows he’s in the doghouse (and) needs to up his stock.’

Trump told reporters on Friday: ‘I don’t know if it was anybody, because it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon.’

Sources approached by the Mail On Sunday dismissed theories that the disruption was a glitch.

‘A cap at one specific speed, 100 miles per hour, looks like a configuration setting, not a random failure,’ said a former Pentagon insider who worked on satellite technology.

‘Oh, hell no, this wasn’t an accident.’   

President Zelensky on Saturday revealed ‘evidence’ that the US jammed Ukraine’s military Starlink system. 

Starlink satellites, operated by Mr Musk’s SpaceX, provide high-speed internet to Ukraine’s military which allow it to defend itself against Russian drone and missile attacks. 

Ukrainian drones dependent on Starlink flew at speeds of 180km/h (112mph) within the EU but cut out when flying faster than 160km/h (99mph) inside Ukraine, Mr Zelensky told reporters over WhatsApp.

With Starlink, Ukrainian drones can stay connected to operators over long distances and counter Russian drones.

But on Tuesday night, Starlink suddenly and unexpectedly restricted the speed at which drones could fly while maintaining internet connection.

Connectivity had been restored by Wednesday evening, but Mr Zelensky said that there were still problems with it today, according to The Times. 

The Ukrainian military had been forced to suspend operations because of the speed restrictions and Mr Zelensky said that the country’s air defences were being undermined. 

Some 15 critical power generation and transmission facilities were targeted on Friday night. 

More than 320 ‘shahed’ drones, as well as cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and munitions were fired from Russia overnight, Mr Zelensky said. 

It comes amid a deterioration of relations between the Ukrainian and US presidents. 

Donald Trump passed an executive order on Friday blocking the sanctions on oil and gas exports which were due to take effect tomorrow, a move the Kremlin hailed as ‘historic’.

The order was made just one week after making a deal with Putin to stock the US with over 300,000 tons of diesel fuel.

Mr Zelensky criticised the move in social media posts on Saturday. He said: ‘The decision to undo all of this, to block all of it, seems wrong to me. And it definitely helps only the Russians. It only fuels their satisfaction and their desire to keep killing people. This certainly does not stop the war.’

He added: ‘A US sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for Putin — all of this only encourages him to keep attacking.’

Mr Trump’s administration had earlier warned Kyiv’s officials that if Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries were not halted Washington would retaliate by shutting off some of its support for Ukraine. 

Mr Trump also suggested Mr Zelensky should be replaced as Ukrainian president, claiming he is ‘more difficult to deal with than Putin’. 

Mr Trump has also refused to blame Putin for starting the Ukraine war – putting him at loggerheads with Britain and other allies over the conflict.

When asked whether he had forgotten that it was the Russian leader who started the war, Mr Trump did not respond directly and implied it was not straightforward.

He said: ‘I know the details, OK, and at some point I’ll release the details.

‘But I don’t care anything except for one. I want that war ended.’

And while the US-Ukraine relationship frays, UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has announced that Britain will join Germany and France in a major military exercise in Poland next month.

Speaking in Washington DC, Mr Streeting said: ‘Ukraine is the front line for freedom everywhere, and it’s absolutely vital that they prevail against Putin’s aggression.

‘We’re planning for the peace and freedom we want to see through our leadership of the coalition of the willing.’

The drill is aimed at ensuring Nato forces are ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees once the war is over.

With 1,500 troops taking part, the exercise will simulate moving troops and supplies, such as food and fuel, and was agreed at a coalition of the willing summit in July.

Meanwhile, Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine continues, with Kyiv reporting further strikes on Friday and this morning, wounding civilians, damaging homes and disrupting power supplies.

Russia has regularly targeted Ukraine’s energy grid in the lead-up to winter in an effort to ‘weaponise’ freezing temperatures, and officials in Kyiv have warned Moscow is stockpiling missiles for more attacks over the coming months.