In the early hours of 14/10, Denys Sienik, Ukraine's charge d'affaires ad interim in Washington, sent an urgent message to American lawmakers: Kyiv's military operations were suddenly facing unexplained restrictions on Starlink equipment.

Sienik warned that this change could give Russia an advantage on the battlefield and make it harder for Ukraine to intercept enemy attacks. Ukrainian soldiers rely on Starlink for communication, remote weapon system control, and intelligence gathering.

By that morning, officials in Kyiv began to fear the worst: that President Donald Trump had instructed billionaire Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, which operates Starlink, to throttle the satellite system's bandwidth for Ukraine.

SpaceX has not commented. However, on social media, Musk stated that restrictions on Starshield, the military-grade Starlink platform, were decided by the Department of Defense and President Trump's administration.

"The Starshield system is owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Any restrictions on speed or usage are determined by the U.S. military and ultimately by the President," he wrote, without directly mentioning Ukraine.

Senior European and Ukrainian officials reported that Starlink system access disruptions occurred shortly after the U.S. administration signaled through back channels that if Ukraine did not negotiate or accept peace terms with Russia, the United States would cut intelligence support and cease weapon supplies. However, U.S. officials denied issuing such threats.

According to observers, while unconfirmed, this suspicion indicates how severely relations between Washington and Kyiv have fractured in just three weeks as Trump sought to end the conflict in Ukraine.

From simmering tensions to a shocking agreement

U.S. officials say that tensions between Trump and Zelensky did not erupt recently but had been simmering since their meeting in New York in September.

President Zelensky arrived in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly with confidence. The Ukrainian military had broken Russian advances on the battlefield with the Vivaldi counteroffensive, and he had positive discussions with President Trump, including a cordial meeting at the NATO summit in July.

However, during the sideline meeting at the UN General Assembly on 22/9, things did not go smoothly. Trump repeatedly pressed Zelensky to explain why Ukraine was attacking Russian oil refineries, according to sources familiar with the matter.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 22/9. Photo: Reuters

For Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure is a core strategy to deal a heavy blow to the Russian economy, thereby cutting off funding for Moscow's campaign. Analysts suggest that continuous drone attacks by Ukraine have crippled 40-50% of Russia's oil refining capacity.

As fuel prices in the United States, particularly for diesel, escalated, Trump immediately blamed Ukraine, declaring that the situation was unrelated to the war he initiated with Iran. The U.S. president believed that if Ukraine stopped its attacks on Russian oil refineries, fuel prices would cool down rapidly.

After the New York meeting, informed sources revealed that the U.S. President had requested Ukraine to stop the attacks six times. Ukrainian officials affirmed their readiness to agree to any energy ceasefire deal with Russia, but since Moscow refused, they decided not to stop.

As Ukraine continued its offensive, President Trump's attitude toward President Zelensky became increasingly harsh. Sources indicated he was frustrated that Ukraine used U.S.-provided intelligence resources to target Russia's energy export infrastructure, an action he believed could directly impact American consumers' wallets.

In early October, a high-level Ukrainian and European delegation flew to Miami to meet two of Trump's special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, to salvage peace talks. The discussion on 9/10 aimed to propose a new resolution to the conflict that both Russia and Ukraine could accept.

During the six-hour meeting, Kushner and Witkoff revealed that the White House was considering a diesel purchase agreement with Russia. This information surprised both Ukrainian and European officials. The two U.S. envoys also urged Ukraine and European countries to immediately develop a new proposal package for Russia to seek an end to the conflict, according to anonymous sources.

Later that day, Trump held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, then announced an agreement to purchase millions of tons of Russian diesel.

Immediately after the announcement, many Republican lawmakers called the White House to express anger. They argued that the deal granted Russia a victory without any concessions in return and contradicted the 2022 act which prohibited the U.S. from importing Russian energy without congressional consultation.

While Ukraine was still reeling from the diesel deal, President Trump announced on social media on 11/10 a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire, which he claimed was effective immediately. However, soon after, Russia attacked a power plant in Ukraine's Kharkov city.

When asked about violations of the ceasefire, Trump responded, "They agreed. You know why? Because I told them to agree. That's it. They agreed because I told them to agree, and this whole thing has to be cleaned up."

Betrayed by an ally

President Zelensky initially reacted cautiously to Trump's diesel agreement, calling it a "gift" to Russia without any commitments toward ending the conflict.

He later declared his readiness to implement the "energy ceasefire" announced by Trump, despite it not being discussed beforehand with the U.S. But his patience reached its limit when Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine's power grid, asserting its right to retaliate.

A building in Kyiv, Ukraine, burns after an attack on 2/10. Photo: AFP

In response, Trump called for Ukraine to "choose new leadership," citing Zelensky's "refusal to implement proposals to end the conflict."

As a result, Ukraine was angered, U.S. allies were stunned, and the Republican party remained deeply divided over President Trump's unpredictable foreign policy.

"This is a serious issue, and we will do everything to fix it," said Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. He affirmed that Congress would intervene if the U.S. government had indeed slowed down access to Ukraine's specialized military Starlink devices.

"If we cut Ukraine's connection, the consequences will be immediate, just wait and see," he stated.

When asked about specific measures that could be taken, Fitzpatrick said Congress could freeze the budget of any federal agency responsible. "They won't receive a dime of funding if they don't fulfill their duties," he emphasized.

President Trump (right) hosts President Putin in Alaska in 8/2025. Photo: AP

In an interview on 14/10, President Zelensky admitted feeling "betrayed" by the diesel purchase agreement between the United States and Russia. "It's regrettable that we are losing a strong partner," he said. "We cannot be weak. Weakness means inability to survive."

In a statement, a White House representative affirmed that "the President and his team remain committed to continuing their constructive role in ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and he remains optimistic about the possibility of the two sides reaching a final peace agreement."

Vu Hoang (According to WSJ, AFP, Reuters)