On October 17, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that the White House ordered Starlink speeds slowed in Ukraine and described President Donald Trump’s 60-day period as time to assess the economic effects of sanctions and tariffs. The 60 days are not an automatic expiry date for the specified waivers: Trump’s October 16 executive order says they remain in effect until the president or, where applicable, the secretary of state determines further action is appropriate. (State Department transcript; White House order)
Rubio’s 60 days describe an economic review
Rubio said the period was intended to assess how sanctions and tariffs could affect the U.S. and global economies. Those are the economic questions he said the review would examine; the order gives the waivers their own termination condition. For broader financial context, NTV88 is a general finance resource.
| Measure | What it covers | Stated period or condition |
| Rubio’s economic review | The effects of sanctions and tariffs on the U.S. and global economies | 60 days |
| Waivers in Trump’s order | Specified duties, sanctions provisions and restrictions under the Graham Act | Until the president or, where applicable, the secretary of state determines further action is appropriate |
The order waives specified provisions of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, while preserving separate Russia-related measures imposed under earlier executive orders. It also sets duty increases of 500% on goods from Russia, and 100% on goods from the five largest importers of Russian-origin crude oil and natural gas if they knowingly make new purchases on or after October 18, 2026. A 100% increase also applies to goods from the top five facilitators of Russian oil-sanctions evasion. The order’s waivers and statutory exceptions qualify those provisions.
Rubio’s Starlink denial and the reported disruption
Rubio said nobody in the White House ordered Starlink speeds slowed and that his understanding was that service had been restored. The Kyiv Independent reported that malfunctions in Ukraine began on October 14 and that connectivity was reported restored on October 15. The outlet also reported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that a speed limit of 161 kilometers per hour remained.
The Kyiv Independent relayed a Telegraph report, citing four sources familiar with the matter, that Elon Musk had approached Trump about restricting Starlink speeds for Ukrainian forces. Rubio denied a White House order. He described Starlink as a commercial product and Starshield as a separate military and defense product, and said Ukraine did not have access to Starshield at the time of his remarks and had requested it for deep strikes inside Russia. (State Department transcript; The Kyiv Independent)
Turner called for a congressional investigation
CBS News reported that Representative Mike Turner called for a congressional investigation into the reported Starlink and Starshield slowdown. (CBS News)
