Representative Frank Pallone said it cannot be a coincidence that just as Trump floated plans to buy Russian diesel, his trillionaire buddy made it harder for Ukraine to defend itself. He said Ukrainians have every right to defend their democracy and that America should stand firmly behind them. He called it a sinful betrayal. The New Jersey Democrat posted the statement on Thursday in reply to a report on Ukrainian accusations against SpaceX. No matching release appeared on his congressional site.
“It can’t be a coincidence that just as Trump floated plans to buy Russian diesel, his trillionaire buddy made it harder for Ukraine to defend itself,” Pallone wrote Thursday. “Ukrainians have every right to defend their democracy, and America should stand firmly behind them. This is a sinful betrayal.” The post does not cite a specific order or a volume of terminals affected. The characterizations are his.
The diesel license is the recent energy document. The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License No. 135 on Oct. 9. The license text authorizes defined transactions related to Russian-origin diesel fuel through April 7, 2027. Trump’s Oct. 11 Truth Social post announced an energy ceasefire. No White House release defines its terms. Pallone’s post treats the sequence of the license and the reported restrictions as not a coincidence. The license authorizes defined transactions. It does not address Starlink or Starshield.
Ukrainian officials described restrictions on a military satellite system. Defense Ministry officials said SpaceX had restricted use of Starshield for devices traveling faster than 100 miles per hour without warning, disrupting some combat operations, including guidance for drones. Mykhailo Fedorov later wrote that connectivity at speeds up to 160 km/h was being restored. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said overnight the Russians used 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones against energy infrastructure, leaving at least 600,000 people without power in Kyiv. Zelenskyy wrote Wednesday. Those statements are on Ukrainian official accounts. No Defense Department release posted this week confirms a speed limit, a restriction, or a restoration.
Elon Musk stated that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president. Musk wrote Wednesday. Pallone’s post attributes the restrictions to Musk. Musk’s post attributes decision authority to the U.S. military and ultimately the president. The two posts address different points of decision.
No Defense Department or White House release posted this week responds to Pallone’s statement or confirms a directive connecting the diesel license to Starshield access. Ukrainian reports of disruptions and a subsequent partial restoration are on official accounts. Pallone’s post treats the timing as intentional. Those characterizations are his.
Pallone has previously addressed Ukraine support. The Thursday post does not cite earlier statements. It is limited to the sequence of the diesel plans and the reported restrictions, and the characterization of the effect on Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.
“Can’t be a coincidence,” “made it harder for Ukraine to defend itself,” and “sinful betrayal” are Pallone’s. The Oct. 9 license, Musk’s statement on decision authority, the Ukrainian reports of restrictions, and the absence of a same-day Defense Department confirmation are the records. The gap is between a representative describing the timing as intentional and Musk’s statement that any limits are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president, with no official Pentagon release confirming either account on a government page.