Trump rejected the restriction of Ukraine's access to the Starlink network

Speed limits limited Ukraine's defenses against deadly Russian attacks on Tuesday night.

US President Donald Trump has ruled out restricting Ukraine's access to Starlink's sister Starshield internet network after it limited drone speeds and hampered Kiev's ability to defend itself against Russian attacks.

"I wasn't me and I don't think it was [Starlink owner] Elon [Musk]," Trump said, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the speed had not yet been restored.

Ukraine was hit by a deadly attack on Tuesday after a network slowdown.

Starlink is a high-speed civilian internet network operated by Musk's SpaceX. StarShield — which relies on Starlink — is its military-grade sister service designed for the Pentagon.

The United States has previously warned that if Ukraine does not stop attacking Russian oil refineries, it could withhold information crucial to Kiev's defense.

Tensions between Washington and Kiev have been brewing for several days over the recent controversial diesel deal between Russia and the United States.

Zelensky — angered by the deal — resumed targeting Russian oil refineries this week in a move criticized after Trump announced a truce on energy infrastructure. Kiev said it would stop the attacks only if Moscow did the same.

"If I stand up to this… who else will?" Zelenskiy appealed to EU leaders at Friday's meeting.

Trump also said that dealing with Zelensky was "tougher than Russian President [Vladimir] Putin."

But speaking to reporters while leaving White House, the US President said on Friday in the House of Representatives that he has a good relationship with his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked about Starshield, he said he was "not sure" it "ever came down."

Musk previously explained that StarShield is managed by the US government and that the Pentagon could be responsible for it.

The US government has allowed Ukraine to use Starlink and Starshield in its defense against Russia. Musk cut off Moscow's access to the service in February, giving Kiev an advantage in the conflict.

On Tuesday night, Starlink capped speed limits at 100 mph (160 km/h), meaning any weapon traveling faster than that lost connection to the network.

About 600,000 people in Ukraine were left without power as communications and energy facilities used by the Ukrainian military were also hit in the deadly attacks.

A bipartisan group of US senators have signed a letter calling for an investigation into the disruptions in the network.

"The restrictions appear to have reduced Ukraine's ability to conduct defensive operations against Russian missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure," the letter said.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Friday that EU countries would not abandon Ukraine.

At the end of the two-day summit in Brussels with Zelenskiy in attendance, Macron said it was Europe's duty to hold the line against the "ambiguities" of some people. This was apparently a reference to signs of faltering US support for Ukraine.

Funding for Ukraine and helping it get through another freezing winter — its fifth since a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022 — topped the agenda.

Zelensky told the European Council that the war would cost 155 billion euros (£131 billion; $174 billion) next year, with at least 70 billion euros needed from the EU for defense and weapons.

Macron said Europe was trying to help Ukraine with satellites and early warning systems, and that Ukraine's friends would heed the country's request for more help.

Zelensky: After Trump called the recent attacks "disgrace", Ukraine has the right to defend itself.