Rubio stated that without U.S. assistance, Ukraine might not have been able to preserve its statehood
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that without American aid, Ukraine might not have been able to preserve its statehood. He made these remarks in response to reports of Elon Musk’s possible interference with the Starlink satellite system, which assists the Ukrainian military. Rubio denied that Donald Trump or his administration had prior knowledge of any restrictions on the system’s operation and also spoke about the difficult negotiations aimed at ending the war.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that American support played a crucial role in preserving Ukraine as an independent state. He made these remarks to reporters on Wednesday, October 21, during a visit to India. His remarks were quoted by Bloomberg, and RBC-Ukraine reported on the statement. “If it weren’t for the help of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine today. Ukraine would not exist as a sovereign state,” Rubio said.
Journalists asked the secretary of state about a report in The Wall Street Journal. The article claimed that Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX, had allegedly ordered a slowdown in the operation of the Starlink satellite system. The Ukrainian military uses it for communication and coordination, particularly when repelling Russian attacks.
What is known about the possible restriction on Starlink
According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk discussed this decision with U.S. President Donald Trump after information about the system’s slowdown became public. Another source cited by the publication claimed that Musk had raised this issue with representatives of the U.S. administration even before the changes took effect.
The newspaper cited anonymous U.S. and other officials. Therefore, the details it reported require separate confirmation. Rubio denied that U.S. authorities knew in advance about the possible restrictions or directed this process. “It’s not true that we somehow knew about this in advance or were directing it,” he said.
According to the secretary of state, he does not know whether Donald Trump was aware of the potential decision before it became public. Rubio also emphasized that the U.S. government cannot directly control a private company’s decisions regarding its products. He added that the U.S. no longer intends to make excuses on this issue. At the same time, Rubio acknowledged that the Ukrainian military is bravely resisting Russian forces.
Negotiations to end the war remain difficult
Separately, Rubio spoke about negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to him, they are ongoing and remain very difficult. Among the key issues is the future of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
The Secretary of State noted that the parties have already proposed various ideas that could help find a mutual solution. At the same time, he acknowledged that both sides will have to make certain concessions to reach an agreement. “Both sides will have to give something up, and these talks are difficult. I think Ukraine’s main goal is to ensure long-term security so that it will never be attacked again,” Rubio said.
Thus, in his statement, the U.S. Secretary of State addressed two important topics at once: U.S. aid to Ukraine and possible ways to end the war. At the same time, his comments do not answer all questions regarding the reports about Starlink. In particular, the statements cited provide no independent confirmation of exactly when Elon Musk discussed possible restrictions on the system with representatives of the Trump administration. This is reported by Bloomberg.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called reports that the United States had stopped sharing information about ballistic threats with Ukraine false. According to him, problems with warnings about Russian missile strikes on October 13 and 18 may have arisen due to technical issues, which the U.S. side is currently investigating.
