Ukraine-US Tensions Over Aid and Satellite Access

The article is a transcript of Margaret Brennan’s interview with Ohio Republican Rep. Mike Turner on “Face the Nation.” Brennan asks Turner about Republicans’ efforts to distinguish themselves from President Donald Trump, public concern about corruption and presidential conduct, his own record, and the disruption of Starlink service used by Ukraine. Turner urges voters to participate in every race, arguing that elections are decided by turnout and that voters judge candidates individually rather than as a party slate. He says he has pushed back on the administration and emphasizes local economic development, jobs, senior housing, and his long-running effort to restore pensions for former Delphi employees. Brennan notes that the pension legislation has not yet passed and that the president’s support is not the same as enactment. The interview then turns to reports that Starlink service in Ukraine was slowed or disrupted, affecting communications and drone operations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. government did not order a slowdown and that service had been restored. Turner rejects that explanation as insufficient and calls for a congressional investigation to establish who was responsible. He cites past interruptions in weapons deliveries, funding, and intelligence, and says such failures put lives at risk. He also notes reports suggesting service may remain inconsistent in some areas of Ukraine, where it is important to the country’s defense against Russian attacks. The supplied transcript ends as Brennan begins asking about Elon Musk’s public opposition to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his views on Starlink’s use for offensive purposes; the remainder of the interview is not included.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched another night of missile and drone attacks, striking energy and other infrastructure as well as a medical clinic, school, metro station, and homes. He said Ukraine received no advance warning from its partners and alleged delays in U.S. military supplies, while continuing to raise concerns about restricted intelligence and disruptions to Starlink-related services used by Ukrainian forces to counter drones. The Trump administration denied changing its intelligence-sharing policy or deliberately slowing satellite service. A Pentagon official said policy was unchanged, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the slowdown was not intentional and that service had been restored. However, Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Washington said Ukraine had not received confirmation from the Pentagon or SpaceX that service was fully restored or operating as before. The dispute is unfolding amid sharp exchanges between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump. Trump accused Zelenskyy of not wanting to end the war and argued Ukraine had lost territory and suffered severe losses. Zelenskyy rejected that characterization, saying Ukraine had welcomed efforts by partners to end the war with dignity. He criticized the easing of U.S. sanctions on Russia and warned that reducing pressure on Moscow while delaying Ukrainian air-defense supplies misreads the reality of continued Russian attacks. Trump had recently announced an alleged energy ceasefire, but neither Russia nor Ukraine confirmed such an agreement, and attacks on energy infrastructure continued. Zelenskyy said Russia’s response to diplomacy had repeatedly been further attacks. The Kremlin says it values U.S. mediation, although talks have so far produced prisoner swaps rather than a ceasefire. A reported Russian proposal for a U.S.-China-Russia summit without Ukraine drew criticism from Ukraine’s foreign minister, who said it could encourage Putin to continue the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the US administration of delaying deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles that Ukraine needs to defend against Russian attacks. Speaking to US senators, he said the missiles had already been paid for by European allies, but a shipment was waiting for approval from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Zelenskyy said European countries had also offered to transfer some of their own Patriot missiles, but those transfers likewise required US authorization. The dispute comes amid strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had again received no early warning of incoming Russian missile strikes, despite relying on US intelligence to detect fast-moving ballistic missiles. He also raised concerns about access to Starshield, SpaceX’s military satellite communications network, which Ukraine uses for military communications and drone operations. President Donald Trump denied ordering restrictions on the network. The article reports that Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight, cutting electricity to more than half a million households. Zelenskyy said the attacks came in several waves without advance warning from Ukraine’s partners. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the claim that Washington had stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv. Trump further criticized Zelenskyy, asserting that the US had given Ukraine substantial support while Ukraine had given the US nothing. Trump also criticized Zelenskyy for objecting to a US-Russia diesel deal and the easing of sanctions on Russia, and said he believed someone else should negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf. The article presents the missile-delivery dispute and intelligence concerns in the context of a broader deterioration in US-Ukraine relations and renewed Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the United States of delaying Patriot interceptor missiles that European countries have already paid for. Speaking to US senators, he said the missiles were awaiting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s approval and that European countries willing to transfer missiles from their own stockpiles also lacked US authorization. The accusations come amid worsening relations between Kyiv and Washington over military aid and intelligence sharing. Ukraine says it received no early warning of recent Russian attacks, while the Trump administration denies changing intelligence-sharing arrangements. Zelensky also said there was no warning before the latest strikes, which hit energy facilities and infrastructure, leaving more than 500,000 people without power. Ukrainian authorities reported six deaths, including three children, near Kharkiv. Relations have been further strained by President Donald Trump’s decision to partially lift sanctions for a diesel-supply deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his criticism of Zelensky, and his suggestion that someone else should negotiate for Ukraine. Trump said he was willing to meet Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China next month to discuss denuclearisation, potentially including the Ukraine war. The possibility of such a meeting raised concern in Kyiv that Ukraine could be excluded from decisions about its future. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga warned that a meeting could encourage Putin to continue the war. The Pope also spoke with Zelensky after a call with Putin, urging both sides to permit aid into Russian-occupied Oleshky and allow civilians to leave. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that intelligence sharing had been withdrawn and echoed Trump’s call for Zelensky to focus on ending the conflict. Peace talks remain deadlocked: Russia refuses to relinquish its territorial claims, while Ukraine rejects being forced to surrender territory. The article describes an increasingly tense diplomatic relationship and the continued effects of Russian attacks on Ukraine.

The article reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seeking an explanation for restrictions on SpaceX’s Starshield service, which he says are disrupting early-warning air defence systems. Starshield is described as the Pentagon-controlled military arm of SpaceX’s Starlink system. The account says the US government has not explained why the speed restrictions were imposed. The report therefore highlights a concern about the effect of a technical restriction on systems used for air-defence warning in Ukraine, while leaving the cause and rationale for the restriction unanswered. It does not provide details about when the restrictions began, which systems or locations are affected, how severe the disruption is, or what response the US government or SpaceX has offered. Nor does it specify what answers Zelenskyy is seeking beyond an explanation of the restrictions. The central issue presented is the reported tension between limits on a military satellite communications service and the operation of early-warning air defence systems. The article is brief and offers no additional technical or political context, so it does not establish whether the restrictions are temporary, intentional, or connected to a specific policy decision. Its focus is the Ukrainian president’s warning and the absence of a publicly stated explanation from the US government.