The US military and President Trump are responsible for any limits on the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite system, Elon Musk has said, after Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned “people will die” as a result of a speed restriction introduced earlier. The satellite network is vital for guiding Ukraine’s longer-range drone strikes and helps the country defend itself from Russian attacks. On Wednesday morning, Ukrainian officials said a 160 km/h limit had been unexpectedly introduced on the military version of the satellite internet terminals, which are produced by Musk's SpaceX company.Officials suggested the slowdown was linked to current tensions between Ukraine and the US, largely prompted by Donald Trump's surprise deal to secure diesel supplies from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported that the actual speeds available during the day were even lower, but reports emerged on Wednesday evening that high-speed connectivity had been restored up to the 160 km/h threshold. Among those reporting the partial restoration of high speeds were Ukraine’s former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who took to Musk’s social media platform, X. Responding to Fedorov, Musk who distanced himself from the management of Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink. Musk said Starshield systems “are owned and controlled by the US government” and that “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS [The US President].” He contrasted this with Starlink, which he described as a “commercial service” that is “limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action.” Intertwined systems The Starshield slowdown comes amid a sharp deterioration in Kyiv’s relationship with the US following Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, with Washington pressing Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said it felt "painful" whenever Trump took another side in the war with Russia, and said he felt betrayed by the diesel sanctions being lifted.While Starshield’s missions are separate from Starlink’s commercial broadband service, the distinction is not always clear-cut, Reuters reports. Starshield's secure communications services use enhanced encryption and dedicated terminals, but rely on the vast Starlink constellation as their backbone, leveraging the technology, engineering and operational experiences of Starlink, according to SpaceX.