Zelensky Calls Trump Betrayal Over Cutoff of Starshield Defense Data

Volodymyr Zelensky has leveled a sharp accusation against Donald Trump, calling the move a betrayal as Elon Musk also turned the finger on the US President regarding the sudden cutoff of satellite data. The Ukrainian leader said it was a pity that Ukraine is losing a strong partner and warned that people will die if access to the Starshield defense system continues to be curtailed. He made these comments while visiting the UK to meet with King Charles and Andy Burnham for support following a bruising week at home.

Trump has recently demanded Zelensky quit his job, signed a treacherous deal with Vladimir Putin to buy Russian diesel, blamed Ukraine for rising energy prices, and surprised him with a fake ceasefire that Russia immediately obliterated. Yesterday, the Ukrainian military revealed its access to the SpaceX system had been throttled, effectively grounding vital strikes on Russian targets. It said Elon Musk's platform imposed a speed limit on Starshield, while Trump denied his administration was involved in the decision.

But Mr Musk roundly refuted this claim, insisting that Starshield falls under the direct control of the US President unlike the commercial arm known as Starlink. He wrote explicitly that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately Potus. Zelensky agreed he felt betrayed by Trump's actions over the past few days while speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, where he warned the former reality star that this is not the right side of history.

Vladimir Putin continues to blitz Ukraine with 39 ballistic missiles striking Kharkiv and Kyiv overnight on Tuesday and into yesterday. Horrifying images showed a woman crouching on the ground covered in blood after apartment buildings in the capital were torched, killing at least three people and leaving dozens more injured. Strikes on energy infrastructure also left 600,000 residents in darkness as power was cut across the city.

These attacks represent Moscow's largest since Trump announced an energy ceasefire with the Kremlin last week. Zelensky said the onslaught was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale because Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the US. He added that 26 power facilities and four oil and gas terminals were damaged during this wave of violence.

The US President's poll ratings are tumbling over rising fuel costs largely caused by his disastrous war with Iran, yet he is instead singling out Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil refineries. Last night, Zelensky lamented that it is painful when President Trump chooses one side and not our side, expressing doubt about who is pushing him to make these dangerous choices.

This is not the right side of history." That was the blunt assessment from Colonel Aleksandr Grom, speaking after a bizarre technological blackout struck Ukrainian drone operators on Tuesday night. The trouble did not come from Russian missiles or artillery fire, but from Starlink itself.

Ukrainian pilots suddenly found their feeds cut off overnight when they tried to fly faster than 100mph. Missile-strike drones must exceed that speed to dodge Russian defences and hit targets deep behind enemy lines. The moment a drone broke the limit, the connection died instantly, leaving pilots with no live view of the strike zone. This same glitch has also hampered new interceptor drones trying to knock down Russian Shahed suicide drones using Starlink guidance.

Reports surfaced that some brigades saw connections drop at speeds as low as 45mph, and a few claimed total loss of service. Ukraine's defence ministry later confirmed that lower speed restrictions had been lifted, but the hard 100mph ceiling remained firmly in place. Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelensky on defence technologies, said yesterday: "Our forces were not given notice of this limit, and this has resulted in the disruption of a number of missions." He added that the move was clearly political rather than accidental.

Despite Zelensky pausing his own strikes on Russian oil refineries, Washington has offered no public rebuke for what looks like a flagrant violation of any truce logic. Instead, Trump announced a deal with Putin last week to buy hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel. When Zelensky called this a weak decision by strong partners, the US leader reportedly declared it was time for Ukraine to get a new president.

The mood shifted sharply as soon as Zelensky arrived in London on Wednesday. He was hugged by Andy Burnham at Downing Street in a visible show of support from Britain against US hostility. Earlier that morning, King Charles welcomed the Ukrainian President in the Chinese Dining Room of Buckingham Palace before moving to the private audience room for talks lasting around 25 minutes.

During his visit, Zelensky told reporters: "Our people, we survived and continue to do this because we have strong partners, and I'm very proud that we have one of the strongest partners in our history and it's your people, Andy." Burnham replied by saying recent days had been dark and difficult for Ukraine. He assured him: "You have seen the solidarity and the support you have got from everybody here in Britain. We are behind you and that will not change."

Earlier during PMQs, the Prime Minister promised Zelensky he would not be going away from Britain today empty-handed. Asked to call Trump's behaviour a shameful betrayal by Lib Dem MP Ed Davey, he stopped short of those words. He insisted his job was to try and repair bridges so support can come back.

Zelensky wrote on X afterwards: "I thank His Majesty King Charles III for the audience. It is important for me to have the opportunity to personally thank him for his unwavering support for Ukraine." We appreciate all the assistance provided by the United Kingdom.