The key facts

  • Zelensky: Starlink has not been fully switched off, but speed restrictions affect military and humanitarian tasks
  • Ukraine receives PAC-2 and PAC-3 through PURL with funding from European countries, but is not a priority recipient
  • Zelensky criticized the US-Russia diesel deal and said the issue is not Donbas but the existence of the country

Starlink restrictions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, on the sidelines of the EU leaders' summit in Brussels, that the Starlink system has not been fully switched off in Ukraine, but speed restrictions affect the ability to use it for a number of military and humanitarian tasks. According to him, the defense ministry remains in contact with partners, and he has received signals from the White House that the service will be fully restored.

Use of the system

Zelensky claims that Ukraine does not use Starlink for deep strikes against targets on Russian territory, but uses the system to operate interceptor drones against Russian jet-powered 'Shaheds'. He added that the restrictions also affect the ability to carry out medium-range strikes on military targets. Drones with Starlink, according to him, deliver food and water to Ukrainian troops at positions exposed to attacks by enemy drones.

Intelligence and missile deliveries

Zelensky said Ukraine receives information from the US about launches of Russian ballistic missiles, with dozens of countries sharing intelligence with Kyiv. Ukraine receives PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles from the US under the PURL initiative (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List), with European countries funding the deliveries. 'So this is not a gift. It is not free,' he said, acknowledging that Ukraine is currently not a priority recipient, as many missiles are being sent to the Middle East.

Criticism of the diesel deal

Zelensky criticized the recent US-Russia diesel deal and the prospect of sanctions relief, saying Kyiv was not warned in advance. Ukraine, according to him, proposed a ceasefire in the energy sector and offered the US to provide anti-ballistic missiles to protect energy infrastructure for the duration of the agreement: 'Don't give too much. Give us for the period that you need during the diesel deal. I did not get this.'

On talks and Donbas

Responding to Donald Trump's remark that it is harder to deal with him than with Vladimir Putin, Zelensky said it is easier to negotiate with the US president than with the Russian leader. He called ending the war a priority, but accused Putin of having no genuine desire to negotiate and warned that concessions on sanctions could lead to broader agreements with Moscow — in energy, the chemical industry, and the banking sector. 'We cannot perceive the diesel deals, these arrangements. We cannot accept them, because then there will be gas agreements. I am sure of that,' he said. Zelensky also rejected the notion that the war concerns only control over Donbas: 'The issue is not about withdrawing from Donbas. The issue is the existence of our country.' In his view, Moscow's goals extend beyond eastern Ukraine. He added that European countries understand the risks posed by Russia, and called on partners to continue supporting Kyiv.