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France 24
France 24
Politics
Joanna YORK

Why have US-Ukraine relations soured ahead of the midterms?

US President Donald Trump, right, presents the National Medal of Science to Elon Musk at the US Institute of Peace in Washington on October 8, 2026
US President Donald Trump, right, presents the National Medal of Science to Elon Musk at the US Institute of Peace in Washington on October 8, 2026. © Julia Demaree Nikhinson, AP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he felt “betrayed” on Wednesday after access was seemingly restricted to US intelligence and Space X satellite services, raising new questions about US commitment to Ukraine. With Trump under pressure over rising fuel prices, is the White House hoping criticism of Kyiv can help shift the blame?

For two nights this week the Ukrainian military were stunned by apparent restrictions on its access to Starshield – the satellite internet service owned by billionaire Elon Musk – and claimed that US intelligence warnings had also been cut off, leaving civilians especially vulnerable to ballistic missile attacks.

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