Trump says Musk has restored Ukraine's Starlink access

US President Donald Trump has said that Elon Musk has restored Ukraine's Starlink internet access, following restrictions that had hampered the Ukrainian military.

Trump's comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said connectivity to the Starshield network, a military-grade service run through Musk's Starlink satellite system, had not yet been fully restored.

Musk had previously denied responsibility for the slowdown, which affected Ukraine's ability to use drones both to strike Russian targets and defend against attacks.

Trump declined to confirm a report that he had personally called Musk to request the restrictions be lifted, but when questioned about it he indicated that Musk had reinstated the service.

The Trump administration had earlier denied giving any instruction to Musk's company to limit access.

The disruption to connectivity occurred as Trump pressed Zelensky to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, arguing that such attacks were driving up prices.

With US midterm elections due next month, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed a deal allowing the import of Russian diesel into the US market, a move that has drawn criticism from Ukraine and its European allies.