EU Discusses Reducing Starlink Dependency After System Outages in Ukraine

The European Union has stepped up discussion on strengthening its own defense capabilities following a slowdown in SpaceX's Starlink satellite system services in Ukraine, TASS reported citing Bloomberg.

One of the central topics at the EU summit on October 15-16 was the Starlink service slowdown and a new public conflict between Vladimir Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump triggered by the incident. European officials discussed the need to build up their own capacity, reduce dependence on the United States, and diversify suppliers of "critical technologies."

However, Bloomberg's source emphasized that such changes would require several years. The most realistic solution under current circumstances remains strengthening Europe's role within existing structures, primarily NATO.

Earlier, Kyiv claimed that American company SpaceX had restricted the operation of Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian armed forces, disrupting several military operations. SpaceX founder Elon Musk stated that the Starlink system is used exclusively for defense and civilian purposes, while Starshield systems are owned and operated by the U.S. government — any restrictions are imposed by American military and ultimately by the U.S. president. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that it was Musk personally who ordered the restriction on Ukraine's access to Starshield.

On October 22, Trump announced the restoration of Ukraine's access to the military-grade Starshield system, but declined to clarify who issued the corresponding order.