Streeting says Ukraine’s access to Starlink has been restored — The Guardian
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said that access to the Starlink satellite system has been restored in Ukraine. According to him, this was confirmed by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during a personal meeting. The Guardian reports this.
On the eve of this, Ukraine reported restrictions on Starlink operations that hampered strike missions and air-defence drone missions. Streeting said that the cause of the disruptions remains unclear and noted that this is not the first instance of discord between Washington and Kyiv.
Reports of restrictions
According to Reuters, cited by the publication, the instruction to restrict Ukrainian military personnel’s access to Starlink came from the White House. Two US officials and a Western official familiar with the situation said that Pentagon leaders received notice of the need to slow down the service for the Ukrainian army. They did not specify who exactly in the White House made this decision or who was responsible for implementing it.
The Pentagon is the largest customer of Starshield, the military version of the Starlink service. Amid doubts over long-term US support for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels and held bilateral talks with European leaders ahead of the EU summit. French President Emmanuel Macron, after meeting with Zelenskyy, stated the importance of providing Ukraine with all the means necessary for its defence. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also assured Ukraine of support.
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Russian attack and strikes on oil refineries
According to the State Emergency Service, a more than 10-hour drone attack by the aggressor state Russia on Kirovohrad Oblast killed three people and injured another six. Zelenskyy said that from midnight until the morning, Russia launched more than 850 drones against Ukraine, while air attacks affected 15 oblasts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries had not caused significant damage and promised Moscow’s response. His statement came after a fire at an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan Oblast, which, according to the region’s governor, was caused by a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack.
Separately, the US Department of the Treasury extended until April 2027 a sanctions exemption for petrol stations operating under the brand of the Russian company Lukoil outside Russia. The licence allows such stations to serve customers but prohibits transferring funds to persons or accounts located in Russia.
