Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) said Saturday that Ukraine “still faces restrictions on vital satellite communications” despite the Trump administration’s claims. He said he joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers urging the Pentagon to expand its Starshield contract and restore Ukraine’s access.
Panetta’s full post, published at 11:27 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2026, read:
Despite this Administration’s claims, Ukraine still faces restrictions on vital satellite communications. I joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers urging the Department of Defense to expand its Starshield contract and restore Ukraine’s access so its forces can counter Russian aggression and keep civilians out of harm’s way.
The post responds to a Washington Post report published Oct. 23. It says Trump claimed that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink. Ukraine refuted that claim Friday, according to the report.
Denys Sienik, Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Washington, said speed restrictions remained in place on Friday and that nothing had changed. A commander of the 414th Unmanned Systems Brigade told the newspaper Starshield was still operating with constant interruptions, though at higher speed than on Thursday. The report says the service was unexpectedly throttled last week, impeding Ukraine’s midrange strike campaign on Russian-occupied territory.
The report describes confusion inside the U.S. government. Meghan Gregonis, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, wrote to staff that recent public commentary had left many wondering where the relationship stands, while insisting the fundamentals have not changed. The same day, Kyiv endured a Russian barrage of 21 ballistic missiles, which the Ukrainian government said killed one person and damaged apartment buildings, a railway station and energy facilities.
Congress has pressed for answers. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) opened an inquiry and asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who has authority to change the service. A separate letter led by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), with eight other members of Congress, urged Hegseth to expand Ukraine’s existing Starshield contract so it does not lose service again. It also asked that Ukraine be allowed to strike lawful targets inside Russia. Tillis said the responsible party has not yet owned the decision.
The administration’s account is mixed, the report says. Trump said Musk lifted the restrictions, and Musk has said limits are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately Trump. Vice President JD Vance said the policy question is what America’s approach to Ukraine and Russia will be. The curtailed service followed Trump’s diesel announcement with Russia and his demand that Ukraine stop striking Russian refineries.
Panetta’s record on Ukraine and Russia
Panetta has pressed the Pentagon on Ukraine before. He recently led a bipartisan letter urging the Defense Department to let Ukraine use U.S.-provided long-range missile systems against legitimate military targets in Russia. He is also a signatory to a July 3, 2025 letter to Hegseth urging him to reverse a pause on shipments of munitions and arms to Ukraine.
On legislation, Panetta voted with a bipartisan majority for a national security package that included $61 billion in security aid for Ukraine. He authored the Ukraine Human Rights Policy Act and co-leads the NO LIMITS Act, which targets Chinese military firms assisting Russia. He also introduced the bipartisan NATO Edge Act and supports a discharge petition tied to H.R. 2913, the Ukraine Support Act.
Panetta has also pushed for oversight on the ground. He led a bipartisan letter urging the Biden administration to lift State Department restrictions that bar congressional delegations from staying overnight or traveling outside Kyiv. In September 2025 he traveled to Kyiv, one of only a handful of members of Congress to visit Ukraine that year.
The Starshield dispute has drawn a bipartisan response in the Senate as well. A letter led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) called on the Defense Department’s inspector general to determine whether the administration or its contractors were responsible for the disruptions. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John Cornyn signed it.
The timing of the reporting matters to the dispute. The Post report was published Friday. A separate report published Saturday morning said Ukraine’s defense minister reported military Starlink working normally again, while Ukrainian officials said tests at higher speeds were continuing. Panetta posted at 11:27 a.m. Saturday. His post does not say which letter he signed, and the Post report names the Kelly-Tillis letter among several congressional efforts.