Elon Musk is drawing criticism from Republicans over his decision to restrict Ukraine's access to Starlink, the satellite internet service that has become a central pillar of the country's fight against Russia.

Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw said Musk's explanation makes little sense at a time when Ukrainian troops depend on drones to repel an invasion. The dispute has also revived a broader question for Washington: why a single company holds such sweeping control over communications in an active war.

The fallout has pulled President Trump into another clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, compounding an ongoing dispute between Washington and Kyiv over the United States' newly struck agreement with Russia.

Republicans reject Musk's rationale for the Starlink limits

Crenshaw, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, disputed Musk's claim that Ukraine violated SpaceX's terms of service. In posts on social media, Musk accused Ukraine of using SpaceX's network to carry out offensive drone attacks against civilians.

Crenshaw argued that such a line cannot be drawn when a country is fighting a war for its survival.

"What do you think defending your country is? Of course these drones have been used to kill people. They've been used to kill Russians for years, but inside Ukraine."

Ukraine depends on satellite links to connect front-line troops, transmit battlefield information, and operate equipment such as drones in areas where conventional communications fail or have been destroyed. Starlink, the largest satellite constellation in orbit, has carried much of that connectivity since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. This month, users reported slower connections on both Starlink and Starshield, SpaceX's military-focused variant. For a time, there was no clear public accounting of who imposed the restrictions or why.

Musk later addressed part of the issue online, but officials who support Kyiv remained unconvinced by his response.

Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is not seeking re-election, questioned how Western alliances came to depend on technology that a single company can switch off at will.

"Are you telling me that we don't know something as important as a tool that's being used by our Western nations is subject to the whims of one CEO. Shame on whoever is responsible for it ever having a lapse."

Crenshaw, whose term ends in January, was careful not to frame the dispute as a personal attack on Musk. His concern, he said, is absence of a workable backup should SpaceX change how its products can be used.

"What I worry about is an entire conflict, an entire defense of a sovereign country like Ukraine being dependent on one company."

Trump's diesel deal with Putin fuels a separate dispute with Kyiv

Earlier this month, Trump reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin under which the United States would hold off on further tightening of sanctions against Russia in exchange for diesel shipments intended to bring down fuel costs. The arrangement would mark a break with the approach Washington and its allies have pursued since 2022 of restricting Russian energy sales to curb the revenue funding Moscow's war.

Russia has since offered to sell as much diesel as customers want, up to the total volume it is able to export. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak made the offer in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin.

"As much as our partners want, frankly, from the volume we will be exporting. We can supply all of it."

The Russian state outlet RIA Novosti reported that Novak had previously estimated possible October shipments to the United States and other markets at 500,000 metric tons.

Trump announced the deal on October 9 after speaking with Putin. Under his timetable, more than 300,000 tons were to enter US and global markets immediately, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons after that.

Diesel prices in the United States stood above six dollars per gallon when the first Russian cargo was expected to arrive in New York. Trump is seeking to reduce fuel costs ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, particularly for farmers, ranchers, and truck drivers who rely on diesel daily.

Zelenskyy accused Trump in a Bloomberg interview last weekend of trying to force Kyiv to give in to Moscow. Trump denied ordering the Starlink speed restrictions and complained that Zelenskyy was more difficult to deal with than Putin.

On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had spoken directly with Musk and asked him to lift the restrictions on Starlink services in Ukraine. Whether Starlink service in Ukraine returns to normal, and how Washington answers the single-provider dependency that Crenshaw and Tillis raised, are the immediate questions following the report.