Hegseth denies Zelensky's claim, says 'nothing has changed on our end'

Defense secretary confirms meeting with Netanyahu but declines to share details

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gestures as he welcomes British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday. [Reuters]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gestures as he welcomes British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday. [Reuters]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied Tuesday (local time) that the US government had throttled access to Starshield, the military-grade satellite internet system it provides to Ukraine, saying "we have not restricted anything."

Speaking to reporters during a visit to a defense industry factory in Wisconsin, Hegseth said the US had issued no such directive. "We have not given any instruction or anything like that," he said, adding that Starlink ultimately has its own terms of service to follow and "has the choice to make decisions in that space." "Nothing has changed on our end," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had claimed Sunday in an interview with NBC News that "the US government gave the order to restrict, and technically SpaceX implemented it."

Starlink is the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk's space company SpaceX, and Starshield is its military version. Ukraine's armed forces use the service to operate drones and strike Russian targets, as well as to intercept Russian attack drones. Kyiv has said the throttling of its access, carried out at Washington's direction, has caused operational harm.

Hegseth also confirmed reports that he had visited Israel on Tuesday (local time) and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I visited our troops stationed there and had the opportunity to speak with the prime minister," he said, declining to elaborate. "I can't speak to the specifics of the conversation, but they are great partners and we are grateful."

He also weighed in on President Donald Trump's decision not to broadcast live the execution of a gunman who carried out a shooting at a US military base in Texas, saying he agreed with the president's call. "The important thing is that the execution itself has a deterrent effect, regardless of whether it is broadcast live," he said.


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