Ukraine says US helping Russia
Ukraine on Wednesday accused the United States of helping Russia, saying Washington failed to warn it of incoming missile strikes and slowed the Starlink system it relies on for its battlefield communications and front-line logistics.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted Washington was still helping Ukraine, while a US official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday that its policy had “not changed.” The European Union also said there were “no indications” sharing had stopped.
Ballistic missiles have now struck the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, for two nights running—before air raid sirens could sound in time to warn people to take cover in basements, bomb shelters, or metro stations.
Energy facilities were targeted, cutting power to more than 600,000, despite Trump’s surprise announcement of an “energy ceasefire” in the nearly five-year conflict.
“Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States,” said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Russia does not consider the American president’s statements strong.”
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday night that the lack of notice from Ukraine’s Western partners about imminent Russian ballistic-missile launches was “completely unjust.”
The lack of warning has been reported only rarely over the course of the nearly five-year conflict, and Ukrainian officials have suggested the Russian military’s use of hard-to-detect missiles or potential technical issues could be to blame.
But one senior Ukrainian official pointed the finger at Washington after slower speeds were reported on Wednesday on some Starlink internet terminals used by its military for strikes on Russian-occupied territory and interceptor drones.
“It’s obvious they (the United States) are helping Russia for some reason,” the official told AFP.
Zelenskyy’s adviser Sergiy Beskrestnov linked the attacks and the Starlink restrictions, as the network was “the most effective solution” for protecting Ukraine against jet-powered Russian attacks, which can fly at up to 600 kilometers (370 miles) per hour.
“Through their actions, our partners are depriving us of one of the few chances we have to defend the country against jet-powered Shahed drones,” he wrote on Telegram.
Unilateral restriction
Ukrainian defense sources said SpaceX “unilaterally restricted the operation of Starshield terminals … without prior warning,” hitting connectivity for its drones.
Starlink’s owner Elon Musk last weekend backed Trump, who has enraged Western allies by announcing a diesel supply deal with heavily sanctioned Moscow, and blindsided both sides in the conflict by announcing an “energy ceasefire.”
Trump also angrily hit out at Zelenskyy—and even suggested he should be replaced as president—over Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, and urged him to stop.
Nato chief Mark Rutte urged alliance members to step up support for Ukraine’s air defenses.
Zelenskyy, expected in London on Wednesday for talks with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, has said Ukraine is prepared to hold off from striking Russian energy infrastructure.
But he accused the Kremlin of having “squandered the opportunity for de-escalation.”
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