Carney Questions Judgment Behind Starshield Access Curb for Ukraine

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that curbs on Ukraine's use of the Starshield satellite network have cost civilian lives and questioned the judgment behind the decision.

Carney, speaking in Istanbul, said he could not find words for whoever ordered the restriction against a country fighting to defend its citizens. "So are we concerned? Yes, we are concerned," he said. Ukrainian officials said last week they had lost part of their access to Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink system.

Ukraine relies on Starshield to follow incoming missiles and jet-powered drones and to guide interceptor and spy drones. Starlink handles internal communications. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country cannot track drones and missiles moving faster than 160 kilometres per hour since the restrictions began, which he said complicated efforts to repel Russian attacks and led to civilian deaths, including children.

Responsibility for the restriction remains disputed. Reuters reported last week, citing two U.S. officials, that the order came from inside the White House. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Elon Musk ordered it personally. Musk has said Starshield belongs to and is controlled by the U.S. government, that the U.S. military and ultimately President Donald Trump set restrictions, and that commercial Starlink was not built or authorized for military use. Trump has denied ordering the curbs and said Friday he does not know who did.

Carney said the restrictions "does seem clear" carry "real consequences, human consequences," and that some recent deaths are direct casualties of the reduced ability. He pointed to an attack in central Kyiv within the previous 36 hours, calling it a direct strike on citizens with no military or quasi-military target and citing immense human suffering.

Access remains contested. Trump said Thursday that Musk had restored Ukraine's use. Zelenskyy, in a CNN interview, said "it still doesn't work." Ukrainian military officials said Friday the restrictions are still in place.

The dispute sits alongside wider friction between Kyiv and Washington as Trump pushes Ukraine to accept concessions in a peace deal and to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries. Starshield is not used on those drones because it does not operate over Russian territory. Carney did not name Trump when he said relying on an ally "that may change their view" puts Canadians at risk. He said Canada is "highly, highly reliant on certain systems in certain countries" and that building other options takes time.

Zelenskyy signed a letter of intent Thursday with Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE to develop a Ukrainian satellite communications network.