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Ukraine accused the U.S. on Wednesday of helping Russia after Kyiv said it received no advance warning of incoming ballistic missile strikes and Ukrainian officials reported restrictions on Starlink connectivity used for battlefield communications and drone operations.
The accusation came as Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv for a second consecutive night, hitting energy infrastructure and leaving more than 600,000 people without electricity.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington was still helping Ukraine. A U.S. official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday that American policy had “not changed,” while the European Union said it had “no indications” that intelligence sharing with Kyiv had stopped.
“Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“Russia does not consider the American President’s statements strong.”
Zelenskyy had said Tuesday night that Ukraine’s failure to receive advance warnings from its Western partners about imminent Russian ballistic missile launches was “completely unjust.”
The absence of advance warning has been reported only rarely during the war. Ukrainian officials have suggested that Russia’s use of difficult-to-detect missiles or possible technical problems could be responsible.
However, a senior Ukrainian official directly accused Washington after slower speeds were reported Wednesday on some Starlink terminals used by Ukraine’s military for strikes on Russian-occupied territory and for interceptor drones.
“It’s obvious they are helping Russia for some reason,” the official told AFP, referring to the U.S.
Zelenskyy adviser Sergiy Beskrestnov linked the Russian attacks with reported Starlink restrictions, saying the network had been “the most effective solution” for defending Ukraine against jet-powered Russian drones capable of flying at speeds of up to 600 kilometers, or 370 miles, per hour.
“Through their actions, our partners are depriving us of one of the few chances we have to defend the country against jet-powered Shahed drones,” Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.
Ukrainian defense sources said SpaceX had “unilaterally restricted the operation of Starshield terminals ... without prior warning,” affecting connectivity for Ukrainian drones.
Starlink owner Elon Musk backed Trump last weekend. Trump has also announced a diesel supply agreement with Russia and what he described as an “energy ceasefire.”
Trump criticized Zelenskyy over Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and suggested he should be replaced as president, while urging Kyiv to stop the attacks.
The Kremlin said it was monitoring developments for indications that U.S. support for Ukraine could be changing.
“We are carefully noting all this. It is too early to draw any systemic conclusions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is prepared to refrain from striking Russian energy infrastructure but accused Moscow of having “squandered the opportunity for de-escalation.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte urged alliance members to increase support for Ukraine’s air defenses.
Zelenskyy was expected in London on Wednesday for talks with U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Six people were killed and dozens wounded in Kyiv on Wednesday, authorities said, while significant damage to energy facilities and equipment caused widespread power outages.
Power plants in the eastern Kharkiv region were also hit by ballistic missiles, damaging electricity and heating infrastructure, Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said.
Russian ballistic missile attacks were also reported in Zhytomyr in northwestern Ukraine, while other strikes hit Sumy in the northeast and Chernigiv in the north.
Two people were killed in the central Dnipropetrovsk region and another person was killed in Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, authorities said.
Six people were killed in a drone strike on a wholesaler in the western city of Lutsk, according to the Interior Ministry.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian power and heating infrastructure, disrupting supplies ahead of winter, when temperatures can fall as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Ukraine has been pressing its allies for additional military support, particularly advanced interceptor systems capable of destroying ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones.
In Russia’s southwestern Saratov region, the local governor said a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person in Balakovo.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said air defenses had downed nearly 500 drones heading toward the Russian capital, while about 160 more were intercepted over the Rostov region.
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