European space giant ICEYE, and Finland's Nokia -- that specializes in telecommunications, information technology, andconsumer electronics infrastructure
-- have signed a letter of intent with Ukraine's Defence Ministry to develop Ukraine's own satellite communications system and explore space cooperation amid Elon Musk's Starlink crisis. Two European tech giants in space and communications will support Ukraine's defense capabilities, especially in building sovereign satellite communications. The development has surfaced amid the Russia-Ukraine war as Kyiv, most recently, alleged that their access to Starlink access - a satellite based internet connectivity - was clipped which affected their defence operations against Russia. The limitations placed on Starshield — SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service and the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and communication — last week alarmed the country's military and government officials, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions. After days of handwringing, President Donald Trump asserted Thursday that the service is running again at full speed. However, a senior European official familiar with the situation on the ground in Ukraine said yesterday that nothing has changed in the operation of Starshield, with its speed cap still set at about 100 mph (160 kph). Ukraine has not received a clear official explanation of who ordered the restrictions or why, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The episode and subsequent lack of accountability have sent shock waves through Russia hawks and Ukraine's allies on Capitol Hill. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal announced a new inquiry into how the technologies were slowed down for Ukraine’s defense systems. Questions have percolated since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Elon Musk-made satellite internet system that Ukraine has relied on for years to counter Moscow's attacks. Trump, as recently as on October 22, maintained that he didn’t make the call. Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have denied any administration involvement. Musk — one of the GOP's biggest donors and a Trump ally — indicated that because Ukraine was using the military-grade version of his technology, questions about the service should be directed to the Pentagon. With inputs from AP
