Carney: Musk’s Cut Costs Lives

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Istanbul on Friday with a pointed message regarding the war in Ukraine. He stated that a recent decision to limit Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's military satellite network is costing lives. Carney questioned the judgment of the officials behind the move, describing the situation as one where a country fights for its citizens against naked aggression.

Ukrainian officials reported early in the week that they lost part of their access to Starshield. This system is the military version of Starlink, the satellite communications network owned and operated by SpaceX. Ukraine relies on Starshield to track incoming missiles and jet-powered drones. It also guides interceptor and spy drones, while the commercial Starlink handles internal communications.

The source of the restriction remains a point of contention between Washington and Musk. Reuters cited two U.S. officials who said the order came from the White House. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Musk ordered the change personally. Musk has stated that Starshield is owned by the U.S. government and that the military and President Donald Trump make the final calls. Trump denied ordering the curbs on Friday, saying he did not know who did.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine says the restrictions have left his country unable to track drones and missiles traveling faster than 160 kilometers per hour. He stated that this gap has made it harder to repel Russian attacks. Zelenskyy said this has led to civilian deaths, including children, because defenses cannot react quickly enough to high-speed targets.

Carney agreed with the assessment, saying the restrictions have real human consequences. He pointed to an attack in central Kyiv that occurred within the previous 36 hours. Carney described it as a direct strike on citizens with no military target nearby. He called the recent deaths direct casualties resulting from the reduced ability to track threats.

Conflicting reports emerged regarding the status of the network access. Trump said on Thursday that Musk had restored Ukraine's access. Zelenskyy contradicted this in a CNN interview, stating that the system still does not work. Ukrainian military officials confirmed on Friday that the restrictions remain in place. Zelenskyy told NBC on Sunday that Ukraine believes the American government sent the message to limit speed, which SpaceX then executed technically.

The timing of these cuts aligns with a low point in relations between Kyiv and Washington. Trump is pushing Ukraine to accept stronger concessions in a peace deal. He has also urged Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries. Starshield is not used for those strikes because the network does not operate over Russian territory.

Carney used the incident to discuss Canada's own strategic position. He noted that relying on an ally that may change its view puts Canadians at risk. He said this reality leads to decisions to diversify and build sovereign capabilities in Canada or with partners. He acknowledged this process will take time because Canada is currently highly reliant on systems in certain countries.

Zelenskyy is already taking steps to reduce Ukraine's dependence on the U.S. network. On Thursday, he signed a letter of intent with Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE. The goal is to develop a Ukrainian satellite communications network to support future defense needs.