U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday to “be careful” in public statements about U.S. support for Ukraine.
U.S.-provided Starlink internet was recently restricted in Ukraine, hindering the war-torn country’s ability to respond to Russian assaults. Ukraine uses Starshield, the military and government-controlled version of the commercial Starlink, to conduct military operations.
In an earlier interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Zelenskyy said he believed the U.S. government was responsible for the slowdown, and that Ukraine was “blocked” from U.S. intelligence for a period of time. Zelenskyy said Starshield-linked vehicles and drones are still being restricted in speed.
Bessent cautioned Zelenskyy about making those claims.
“President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Marco] Rubio have categorically said that no one under the Trump administration did that, and I think it is very reckless for President Zelenskyy to make such a charge,” Bessent said on “Meet the Press.”
“President Zelenskyy should be very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true,” he added.
Starlink, high-speed satellite internet provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is critical to Ukraine’s defense. Musk himself said in a post on X last week that the U.S. government and President Donald Trump are “ultimately” responsible for any slowdowns to the military version of Starlink known as Starshield.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” Musk wrote. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
Reuters reported last week that the White House ordered the technology restrictions, but Trump has denied responsibility for the slowdown.
“Well, I don’t know if it was anybody because it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” the president said last week. “And from what I understand, it’s the same as it’s always been.”
The U.S. relationship with Ukraine has been highly scrutinized throughout Trump’s second term, as he has frequently antagonized the war-torn country while pushing for a peace deal.
Trump has recently expressed frustration over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries as he faces pressure from voters over sky-high gasoline and diesel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The president has even personally blamed Zelenskyy for the rise in energy prices: “He wants to make problems for the world. He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel,” Trump said.
Soaring energy prices are largely due to the U.S. war with Iran, which severely disrupted the Strait of Hormuz and choked oil shipments from the Persian Gulf. The national average for a gallon of gas in the U.S. was nearly $4.30 on Sunday, according to AAA. Diesel was roughly $6.32 per gallon, about 20 cents off September’s record high.
Trump has tried to offset the energy pinch by importing Russian diesel. In a post on Truth Social earlier in the month, he said: “Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!”
Many U.S. lawmakers, including Republicans, have condemned the president’s plan to buy Russian diesel. Congress recently sent Trump an overwhelmingly bipartisan sanctions package aimed at crippling Russia’s energy industry. Trump signed the bill into law, but waived portions of it over the weekend, citing the national interest in an explanation to Congress.
“Beyond irresponsible. What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in a post on X. “It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day.”