Trump offers to intervene with Musk

Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he had been told the slowdown affecting Ukrainian forces was over, but offered to step in personally if it was not. "I've heard it was fixed, but if it's not, I'll speak to him," he said, referring to Elon Musk, the founder of Starlink.

Both Trump and Musk have denied any responsibility for the restrictions on the satellite network, which Ukrainian troops rely on for battlefield communications.

Ukrainian forces still report capped speeds

Despite Trump's comment, Ukrainian officials said on Friday that speeds on the network remained capped, with no sign the restrictions had been lifted. Ukrainian forces have continued to report widespread disruptions to Starlink, which began last week after Trump and Musk publicly criticised President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over continued strikes on Russian oil refineries.

• Officials said speeds remained capped, with no indication that the restrictions had been lifted.
• Serhii Beskrestnov, a military expert advising Zelenskyy, said: "At present, we have not observed any lifting of the restrictions on Starlink."
• Beskrestnov added that isolated cases of slightly higher speeds were likely due to SpaceX's algorithms or specific conditions of use, rather than any lifting of the restrictions.

What the restrictions mean for the battlefield

The speed restrictions prevent Ukrainian military equipment, including drones, from maintaining a connection to the satellite network when travelling at high speeds. The effect has been to hamper offensive drone operations and the interception of Russian attacks.

The issue has also drawn diplomatic attention. Downing Street said British prime minister Andy Burnham underlined the importance for Ukraine to have full access to Starlink in a phone call with Trump on Friday.

Oleshky ceasefire and next talks

Separately, the White House said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, halting all military operations in the city from 27 October. The White House statement said the ceasefire was brokered by Melania Trump, whose representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership.

Moscow, meanwhile, said a fresh round of US-brokered talks could take place next month. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US were expected to resume in Abu Dhabi in November.

Ukrainian officials said there was no indication the Starlink restrictions had been lifted; Trump said he would speak to Musk if they remained in place.