Carney: Satellite speed cap leaves Ukraine blind to fast attacks

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated on Friday that curbs on Ukraine's satellite access are directly resulting in civilian deaths.

Speaking in Istanbul, Carney questioned the judgment of those who limited Ukraine's use of Starshield, the military-grade satellite network owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

"I search for the right adjective to describe whoever took this decision, or a group of people took this decision, against a country … that is literally fighting for the lives of its citizens against naked aggression," Carney said. "So are we concerned? Yes, we are concerned."

Ukrainian officials reported early last week that they lost partial access to Starshield. The country uses the system to track incoming missiles and jet-powered drones while guiding interceptor and spy drones. Starlink, the commercial version, handles internal communications.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the restrictions prevent his forces from tracking objects moving faster than 160 kilometres per hour. This gap has complicated defense efforts against Russian attacks, leading to civilian casualties including children. Carney agreed, noting that recent deaths are direct casualties of the reduced ability to track fast-moving threats.

The source of the restriction order remains disputed. Reuters cited two U.S. officials last week who said the order came from the White House. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Musk ordered it personally. Musk maintains that Starshield is controlled by the U.S. government and that President Donald Trump decides on restrictions. Trump denied ordering the curbs on Friday, stating he did not know who was responsible.

Carney pointed to an attack in central Kyiv within the previous 36 hours as evidence of the impact. He described it as a direct strike on citizens with no military target, causing immense human suffering.

Conflicting reports exist regarding the current status of the restrictions. Trump said on Thursday that Musk had restored access. Zelenskyy contradicted this in a CNN interview, stating "it still doesn't work." Ukrainian military officials confirmed on Friday that the restrictions remain in place. In an NBC interview on Sunday, Zelenskyy said his government believes the U.S. sent a message to limit speed, which SpaceX executed technically.

The dispute occurs amid strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. Trump is pushing Ukraine to accept stronger concessions in a peace deal and has urged Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries. Starshield is not used for those specific drones because it does not operate over Russian territory.

Zelenskyy is moving to reduce reliance on the U.S. network. On Thursday, he signed a letter of intent with Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE to develop a Ukrainian satellite communications network. Carney noted that Canada is also diversifying its capabilities because it is highly reliant on systems in certain countries.