Bessent Warns Zelensky Over Claims U.S. Throttles Starlink
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday against claiming the U.S. throttled Starlink. Bessent called the charge reckless and untrue.
3 times, Bessent avoided saying whether the U.S. considers Ukraine an ally.
Zelenskyy said slowed Starlink speeds were a message from the U.S. government.
Elon Musk said the U.S. military and president control Starshield speed limits.
Trump denied cutting intelligence; Starlink later returned to normal speed.
Why it matters: Ukraine uses Starlink to track drones and defend itself. Zelenskyy said the slowdown hurt his forces' ability to block drones.
Musk's statement points responsibility toward the government Bessent defends.
Zelenskyy said siding with Russia would be a historic mistake for the U.S.
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Political Bias
Coverage by lean% of 7 sources
7 sources · 7 articles · 43% Center coverage
Where they split: The dispute is whether the U.S. government limited Ukraine's Starlink access: Zelenskyy and Musk point to Washington, while Trump, Rubio and Bessent say no administration official did.
Center coverage, 3 sources: The center focuses on Bessent's warning to Zelenskyy and the conflicting claims over who slowed Starlink.
Left coverage, 1 sources: The left frames the story around Bessent's refusal to call Ukraine an ally, amid Trump's sanctions waiver and growing tension with Kyiv.
What’s next: Trump announced he would waive Russia sanctions recently passed by Congress in a bipartisan vote. Bessent described it as a 60-day pause, saying only the diesel embargo was lifted.
Bessent said the war will end through a negotiated settlement, not a Ukrainian victory.
Who ordered the Starlink slowdown, given Musk says the U.S. military controls Starshield limits?
Was U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine paused, as Zelenskyy says and Trump denies?
