21 October 2026
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) joined CNN on Tuesday to discuss reports that Elon Musk slowed down Ukraine's access to Starshield.
1/3 Musk ordered last week's slowdown of Starshield, which Ukraine fights on, after talking with Trump, per @WSJ. In '23 the Pentagon signed a contract with SpaceX to “prevent Musk from turning off the switch," per fmr Under Sec of Defense Colin Kahl. https://t.co/spSZRuaowe
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) October 20, 2026
We suspected this was the reason Ukraine’s access to Starshield was restricted. But to see it from senior officials in this reporting is still utterly unconscionable. Let’s be absolutely clear about what this means. The Trump Administration deliberately restricted technology Ukraine relies on to intercept Russian drones and ballistic missiles. It made it harder for Ukraine to defend itself and easier for Russia to carry out its deadly attacks against Ukrainian civilians. They knew exactly what was at stake. They knew that more Russian drones and missiles would get through, allowing Russia to kill even more Ukrainians. And yet they went ahead anyway. This is a deliberate weaking of Ukraine’s defenses that only Russia will benefit from. It is a betrayal of our ally that this Administration cannot wash its hands of. The American people deserve to know who made this decision, why they made it, and how they can possibly justify putting more innocent Ukrainian lives in the crosshairs of Putin’s war machine. https://t.co/y0iYN9QNPP
— Rep. Mike Levin (@RepMikeLevin) October 20, 2026
