Suspicions have been raised that the Donald Trump administration may have restricted Starlink services and cut off military intelligence sharing, such as missile early warning, to force Ukraine into an "energy ceasefire" with Russia.

According to the U.S. online media outlet Axios on the 14th, unexpected speed limits imposed on the Starlink satellite internet service provided by SpaceX to the Ukrainian military could have been an intentional measure by the Trump administration.

According to Axios, the Ukrainian military operates reconnaissance and interceptor drones through Starlink.

If this system fails to operate properly, Ukraine's intelligence gathering and interceptor drone operations, as well as its long-range strike capabilities against Russia, will take a hit.

However, the "speed limit" was imposed without prior notice just as President Trump was pressuring Ukraine to accept an energy ceasefire.

According to Ukrainian authorities, a speed limit was placed on Starlink on the night of the 13th, causing connections to drop whenever drone speeds exceeded 160 km/h.

This has caused significant disruptions to Ukraine's military operations.

A Ukrainian military source told CNN, "This situation significantly complicates logistics, unmanned systems, troop operations, and medium-range strikes."

In particular, with the sudden suspension of the early warning system against Russian ballistic missile attacks previously provided by the U.S. coming just hours before the speed limit was placed on Starlink, Ukraine has been left with no choice but to suspect the political motives of the U.S.

U.S. authorities maintain that the Trump administration has nothing to do with the Starlink speed limits.

However, remarks by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk that the Starshield system, used for military purposes, is controlled by the U.S. government added fuel to these suspicions.

Musk stated on the 14th via X (formerly Twitter), "The Starshield system is owned and controlled by the U.S. government, and any restrictions on speed or use are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the U.S. president."

Externally, President Trump has maintained that he has never suspended military intelligence sharing with Ukraine and is cooperating to end the war.

However, suspicions have persisted that the U.S. has been pressuring Ukraine to accept an energy ceasefire under the pretext of halting weapons procurement and military intelligence sharing.

Furthermore, the U.S. previously suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine once after February of last year, when a summit between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended in a fiasco.

This is why Ukraine cannot help but view the latest measure as a move to pressure it into accepting President Trump's demand to halt airstrikes on Russian energy facilities.

According to multiple sources, Ukraine has been moving busily to gauge the White House's intentions regarding the Starlink speed limits.

Ukraine also reportedly contacted the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Department of Defense to seek a solution.

However, White House officials reportedly explained to the Ukrainian side that they have no control over SpaceX.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)