Musk Alleges Ukraine Aid Laundering; Zelenskyy Says Satellite Restrictions Persist

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has alleged that wartime aid to Ukraine is enriching elites and being laundered into US political campaigns, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says restrictions on SpaceX satellite communications continue to make fighting Russia harder.

Musk made the allegations on X on Friday. He did not identify specific politicians, transactions or organisations, or provide supporting evidence in the post quoted by ANI.

“What’s actually going on in Ukraine is that there is a massive incentive difference between the elites and the people. The former have grown very rich off the hundreds of billions flowing to Ukraine, while the latter’s children are conscripted to die in trenches,” Musk wrote.

He further alleged that some US taxpayer money returned through “multiple laundry machines to fund political campaigns in America”.

ZELENSKYY SAYS SATELLITE LIMITS REMAIN

Separately, Zelenskyy said speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield remained in place, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s assertion that access had been restored.

“The speed limits on Starlink and Starshield are still there. The speed has not been restored,” Zelenskyy said in a virtual address to the Hudson Institute.

He also complained of delays in receiving missile interceptors already agreed upon with partners, saying the shortages were a serious problem amid frequent Russian attacks.

“We keep defending positions. Things have become harder—partly because of the Starlink and Starshield policies and speed limits. But our frontline is still holding, and I am proud of how strong our people are,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 21 that Musk had directed a slowdown of Ukraine’s military satellite communications network. The New York Times subsequently reported, citing sources, that Trump had asked Musk to restore Ukraine’s full access to Starshield after Ukrainian officials flagged difficulties operating military drones.

TRUMP DEFENDS MUSK

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump defended the SpaceX chief.

“He’s a very good person. He’s not going to do anything wrong. He’s a very brilliant person, or Starlink wouldn’t exist,” Trump said.

“Elon will never do anything wrong. I know him very well. He’s a fair person.”

Zelenskyy’s account indicates that Kyiv and Washington continue to differ publicly over whether the satellite restrictions have been fully lifted.

TRILATERAL TALKS PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine, the US and Russia were planning a team-level meeting in the first half of November, following discussions with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

“We are ready to meet any day—even tomorrow. But it all depends on the Russians,” he said, adding that an anticipated October meeting had failed to materialise because Moscow had offered another reason not to participate.

He called for technical discussions to lead to a meeting of national leaders, saying the key issues could only be settled at that level.

Despite the disagreements, Zelenskyy stressed the importance of maintaining strong relations with Washington and urged continued American engagement in efforts to end the war.

With inputs from ANI