Washington, DC -- U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today led four bicameral colleagues in demanding a clear explanation from Elon Musk, CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), about why access to the Starshield communications system was suddenly shut off for Ukrainian forces, which rely on SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system to defend civilians against Russian drones and missiles.

In their letter, the lawmakers underscore that while Musk has publicly asserted that limits to the communications system’s access are “decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS,” public reporting indicates that Musk personally brought the suggestion to President Trump to slow down Ukrainian communications through SpaceX’s Starlink systems.

The lawmakers also highlight that U.S. government officials have reportedly indicated that Musk personally ordered a speed cap on the Ukrainian military’s use of Starshield, the military version of Starlink. Reports published on October 22, 2026, in the Wall Street Journal, indicate that President Trump called Musk to personally ask for the restoration of Starshield capabilities. While the President has asserted it has since been restored, public reports indicate the system remains severely restricted for Ukraine’s defense forces.

“Since the failure of his ground invasion, Russian leader Vladimir Putin turned to a brutal air campaign targeting Ukrainian civilians to wear down public morale. Just last month, more than 300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and 2,000 injured by Russian drone and missile strikes. Ukraine has built an innovative network of drone systems to defend against the thousands of strikes launched each month by Russia. However, these life-saving systems often depend on Starlink’s military version, Starshield, for accurate communication and transmission of targeting data,” wrote the lawmakers.

“Last week on October 13, 2026, Ukrainian officials said that their forces suddenly lost access to Starshield communications inside Ukraine for drones moving over 100 miles per hour. That interruption halted Ukraine’s ability to guide its self-defense drones against incoming Russian missiles and drones and stopped Ukrainian attacks against Russian positions,” the lawmakers continued. “That very night, Russia launched a record-setting coordinated drone and missile barrage at Ukrainian civilian energy infrastructure, using at least 39 ballistic and hypersonic missiles and 128 Shahed-type drones. The strikes killed at least three civilians, including a child, and injured at least 21.”

The lawmakers concluded: “As a publicly traded company, SpaceX has a legal obligation to disclose to shareholders and the public material events that could affect your business model. The revelation that you personally wielded control over a foreign country’s military communications would require disclosure of elevated risks for corporate governance, geopolitical exposure, and potential adverse actions by foreign governments.”

The lawmakers requested answers to the following questions by October 31, 2026:

1. Have you or any SpaceX official at any point discussed limiting Starlink access for Ukrainian forces inside Russia or Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump, or any officials or representatives acting on their behalf? Please provide any such communications or records of communications. 
2. Did you, SpaceX, or entities operating on SpaceX’s behalf reduce, shut off, or throttle Starlink access to Ukrainian forces this month—either inside Russia or Ukraine? If so, why and on whose orders?  
3. Have you or any official at SpaceX communicated to Ukrainian officials any conditions or actions required for a full or partial resumption Starlink access for Ukrainian defense forces?  
4. Did President Trump or the White House, in fact, make a request to restore Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield systems? Have those systems been fully restored? If so, when? And if not, why not? 
5. Which specific individuals, agencies, or entities control the operational decisions from this day forward on restoring full and non-capped access to Starlink and Starshield communications systems for Ukrainian forces? 

Rep. Meeks and Senator Welch were joined by Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA-02), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO-06).

A copy of the letter is available here.