DOMINANT ANGLE
Ottawa is weighing the conflicting messages from Washington: between Trump's announcement and Kiev's observations, the Canadian press sees a game of passing the buck that is straining US-Ukrainian relations.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Trump stated on Thursday that access to Starshield was "back": "I guess the bottom line, he put it back" (National Post).
- 02
On Friday, Zelensky's advisor Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov wrote that he had seen no sign of the restrictions being lifted (Globe and Mail).
- 03
A senior European official indicates that the speed limit remained at around 160 km/h and that Kiev had received no official explanation (Globe and Mail).
ANALYSIS
Ottawa, October 23, 2026. The Canadian press is treating the Starshield affair as a puzzle between allies, where each party is passing the buck. The Globe and Mail talks about a "blame game": the restrictions imposed on Starshield, the military version of Starlink and "backbone" of Ukrainian drone operations and communications, have alarmed the Ukrainian army and government, with commanders reporting lost drones and disrupted missions. The newspaper notes that the Trump administration is sending contradictory messages about the origin of this sudden restriction.
The National Post recalls the sequence of events. On Thursday, October 22, Donald Trump stated that access was "back" after a Wall Street Journal report claimed he had asked Elon Musk to restore the service. When asked about a potential call, the president refused to comment: "doesn't make any difference". He concluded that Musk had "taken care of it". The newspaper specifies that Musk claimed any speed or usage limit was "decided by the US military and, ultimately, by the president", while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assured on Tuesday that the Pentagon had not ordered any changes and that Trump also said he had nothing to do with it.
Both media outlets highlight the denial from the field. On Friday, October 23, Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an advisor to Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote that he had "no indication" of the restrictions being lifted, with cases of slightly higher speeds being due to SpaceX's algorithm. A high-ranking European official cited by the Globe and Mail indicates that the speed limit remains set at around 160 km/h, and that Kiev has received no official explanation about the author or motivation behind the decision.
The diplomatic context takes center stage. The National Post notes that relations between Washington and Kiev have been strained in recent days, with Trump calling for Zelensky's replacement after his criticism of a US agreement allowing more Russian diesel to enter global markets. The Globe also cites Marc DeVore, from Chatham House, who says that if the information is confirmed, the measure could be an attempt by Washington to dissuade Kiev from striking Russian energy installations.
The articles provided do not discuss Ottawa's position or that of Congress: the focus remains on the disagreement between the presidential statement and Ukrainian findings.
