Trump says neither he nor Musk responsible for Ukraine Starlink access

(Adds more comments, background, paragraphs ​1-5) WASHINGTON, Oct 16 - ​US President Donald ‌Trump said ​on Friday that he did not think either he or Elon ‌Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access in a way that affected its military operations against Russia.

The reduction ‌in services provided by the satellite company interrupted communications ‌with headquarters and caused internet speeds to drop. Reuters reported on Thursday that the White House approved the reduction in Starshield ⁠services.

Trump, ​speaking to ⁠reporters as he left the White House on a trip to ⁠Georgia, said neither he nor Musk was responsible for Ukraine ​losing Starlink access. Any limit to Ukraine's access ⁠to the Starshield system was not imposed by the United States, ⁠Trump ​added.

Starshield was developed by SpaceX specifically for government and national-security customers, particularly the US Department of ⁠Defense. Starshield uses the Starlink constellation as its backbone. Trump also ⁠he has ⁠a good relationship with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.