House Republican Threatens to Hold ‘Fully Accountable’ Anyone Who Throttled Starshield In Ukraine

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) vowed on Monday to hold “fully accountable” any U.S. officials involved in the limiting of Starshield in Ukraine during a Russian missile attack last week, which drew widespread scrutiny and a denial from Elon Musk that he had anything to do with it.

“I will be speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team this week to discuss Starshield, sanctions, and other matters pertaining to the defense of our strong ally, Ukraine. I will be assuring President Zelenskyy that anyone who attempts to limit the use of Starshield for Ukraine will be fully investigated and will be held fully accountable, to include public congressional oversight hearings, and immediate harsh and punitive budget cuts to any responsible agency or agency head,” wrote Fitzpatrick on X, adding:

Congress will unequivocally reaffirm that Ukraine is an indispensable ally to the United States, that Russia is a self-declared enemy of the United States, and that the United States will 100% support and defend the people of Ukraine in their fight for their own freedom against this brutal, illegal, and unprovoked Russian invasion.

The United States must provide any and all defensive equipment that Ukraine needs to defend itself. The United States must not import a single drop of Russian oil. Sanctions against the Russian regime must be harsher and stronger than they’ve ever been before. Each and every one of these items will be brought to the House Floor—and each and every one of these items will pass on the House Floor by an overwhelming margin.

This is, after all, what Ronald Reagan would do. And this is what we will do now. Ukraine can, and will, defeat Russia.

Yaroslav Trofimov, the chief foreign afairs correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, noted on Monday as well, “Zelensky says that, despite denials from Washington, the throttling of Starlink/Starshield in Ukraine continues. Remarkable how nobody wants to own a clear policy choice, but also doesn’t want to reverse it. American allies are taking note of what may happen to them in case of war.”

Zelensky’s claim that Starshield remained down on Monday was verified by other reporters as well, including The Economist’s Oliver Carroll, who noted, “Can confirm my sources saying the same: ‘We are seeing loss of connectivity in various areas at speeds of 130–160 km/h.’”

Zelensky fumed last week that he felt “betrayed” by Trump’s deal with Vladimir Putin to lift Russian sanctions and import diesel into the U.S., which could go toward funding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Trump has also repeatedly attacked Zelensky in recent days and urged for him to be replaced.

“It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side,” Zelensky told Piers Morgan Uncensored, adding, “But we are okay that he’s in the middle. But if you’re in the middle, you have to stay in the middle. Not on the wrong side.”

Zelensky also doubled down on accusations that Elon Musk’s Starlink was disabled amid a Russian missile attack, inhibiting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. Musk, in turn, blamed Trump and the Department of Defense for disabling the government-owned part of Starlink, which is called Starshield. “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk said in a post on X, adding, ” Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”

The Telegraph’s Joe Barnes reported on Friday, “Elon Musk came to Donald Trump with the plan to throttle Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet network, sources have told the Telegraph. The tech billionaire made the proposal during the US President’s row with Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil refineries.”

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