Vladimir Putin’s push to exact maximum concessions from Ukraine during negotiations to end the war has been given a surprise boost.

Ukrainian officials on Thursday reported fresh disruptions to satellite communications network Starlink, crippling the nation’s air defences in the midst of US-led talks.

“These are not random errors, but systematic speed restrictions,” Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in a social media post, suggesting the move was a deliberate ploy which may have been intended to undermine Kyiv’s negotiating position.

It is is the second time in as many months Ukraine has faced restrictions to the satellite communications network it relies upon to shoot down Russian drones, with SpaceX boss Elon Musk previously acknowledging his company limited Starlink access and claiming it had come in response to violations of the network’s user agreement.

Musk has not commented on the latest disruption, nor has the White House, which has left Ukrainian officials scrambling to understand why the restrictions have come back into force.

What has happened to Starlink in Ukraine?

In a social media post on Thursday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian officials had reported “significant disruptions” to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, including an effective speed limit on drones of 161km/h.

“For us, this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones,” he added.

Ukraine’s air force reported Russia had launched missiles and 123 drones, 73 of which were jet-powered, in the hours before and during talks.

At least 17 locations were struck in the wave of attacks, it added.

Zelenskyy said an extended disruption to Starshield would assist Russia in carrying out “more accurate strikes against Ukraine”, potentially leading to civilian deaths and the destruction of critical infrastructure.

He added no reason or warning had been given before the restrictions were imposed.

“We are trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side,” he said.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a key technology advisor to Zelenskyy, issued a statement on Telegram suggesting US officials would again cite “the terms of the military service plan for Ukraine” to explain the disruption.

“However, these terms had not been an issue for anyone for several years,” he added.

“Moreover, such terms should be open to negotiation and modification—rather than leaving our country with its skies unprotected.”

US officials have not commented on the latest disruption, nor has Musk.

In October, Donald Trump, JD Vance and Marco Rubio all offered differing accounts for why Ukraine had experienced limitations and who was responsible.

Even after acknowledging SpaceX had imposed the restrictions, Musk himself offered no detail on why they had been imposed or whether the White House or Pentagon had been involved in the decision.

Reacting to the latest disruption, the European Commission declared reports restrictions had been re-imposed were “deeply concerning and, if confirmed, unacceptable”.

SpaceX, it added, should ensure Starshield services were “restored urgently”.

Disruption comes amid talks over ending the war

The latest disruption comes in the midst of US-led talks aimed at finally ending the almost five-year old conflict.

Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, following earlier mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, and later flew to Dublin, Ireland, to meet with Zelenskyy.

While a major prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia was announced on Wednesday, no significant progress was otherwise made on bringing an end to Putin’s invasion.

Nonetheless, Kushner insisted talks had been “very detailed and productive”, while Zelenskyy was also keen to stress to European leaders there was a “window of opportunity” to secure peace.

Further talks are expected, but key to their success will be the presence of European officials, who have long insisted no peace deal which implicates continental security can be reached without their input.

Zelenskyy told reporters on Thursday evening: “Europe will be on the negotiating team” during future meetings, a sentiment backed by Kushner.

“We’ve been telling President Putin that we believe that’s very important,” Trump’s son-in-law said.

Putin and his aides, however, were quick to dismiss the prospect of European involvement.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued talk of their involvement was premature, noting Europe has so far been unable to elect a single representative to take part in discussions.

“The Europeans squabble like spiders in a jar. If someone takes the initiative to establish contact with the Russian side, such people are facing ostracism,” he said in apparent reference to a recent call between Putin and the leaders of Finland and Norway.

Putin, meanwhile, took aim at what he characterised as Europe’s unwillingness to make concessions ensuring Russia’s long-term security, singling out the potential presence of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.

“From the very beginning, we have stated that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable to us. We believe it poses a threat to Russia’s security,” he told Kushner and Witkoff on Thursday.

“The Europeans are aware of this, and what do we hear from them? That once a peace agreement is reached, they will immediately deploy troops to Ukraine… The war would resume instantly.”

Europe wary of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful deal’

The importance of securing a place at the table for Europe has been heightened in recent weeks by Trump’s announcement he was on the verge of agreeing a “big, beautiful deal” with Putin that could reshape security across the whole continent.

European leaders have long rejected repeated Russian demands for an overhaul of the regional security framework, viewing the push as an attempt by Putin to carve out a sphere of influence.

Trump’s comments, which came after Kushner revealed he had been working on a fresh security framework which would underpin “lasting peace”, injected fresh scepticism of the US’ commitment to negotiating a deal to end the war on terms favouring Europe and raised broader concerns about its willingness to combat Russia’s increasing aggression in the long-term.

Neither Kushner nor the White House disclosed any details of the new framework, but comments from Russian officials in recent days have suggested it may include major concessions to Putin.

Yuri Ushakov, one of Putin’s key foreign policy advisors, said Russia was “immediately ready to start” implementing the new framework, which would include a ban on both NATO expansion and the deployment of “weapons systems at the Russian border that threaten us”.

It would also see a return to “the configuration of alliance forces at the moment the Nato-Russia founding act was signed” in the 1990s, a move which would require NATO to withdraw hundreds of troops from several countries.

Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s delegation at the Abu Dhabi talks, linked acceptance of the security framework to discussions aimed at ending the war.

He told Russian state television: “We will be satisfied with the negotiations when we have won and signed a peace treaty on our terms”.

Zelenskyy also appears alarmed by Russia’s effort to reshape European security as part of the peace process.

“Europe really needs to pay attention. When the Americans and Russians talk about these [security guarantees], it’s not just about Ukraine,” he said on Thursday.

“In fact, it’s more about some kind of new security framework between Europe and Russia, and we find this approach a bit strange.”