US ‘betrayal’ over Starlink undermines Ukrainian defense | First Thing

President Zelenskyy accused Donald Trump of taking Russia’s side after access to the vital system was throttled.

Plus, a happy ending for a dog that was missing for a month Good morning.

Ukraine’s president has said he feels “betrayed” by Donald Trump over a throttling of Starlink access.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the US president of picking the other side after more than four years of war, risking a breakdown in US-Ukraine relations.

Ukraine’s military reported that the communications system, produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX but managed by the US government, was no longer working on terminals moving at speeds greater than 100mph.

That effectively rendered most of the drones used by Ukraine to strike behind the frontlines inoperable and affected the country’s best air defence system to stop Russian jet-powered attack drones bombing Kyiv.

What is the likely impact of the loss of Starlink? The Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Matviichuk said : “Without that protection, Russian drones will strike residential buildings, hospitals and schools like targets in a shooting gallery.” However, Starlink is not required for long-range Ukrainian missions that target Russian oil refineries, which Trump has been concerned because of their impact on world energy prices.

How is Israel blocking Trump’s plans for Gaza? Israel is refusing to allow a key project for Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to proceed.

In early August, it issued its first construction contract, for a military outpost to host 150 international troops as a vanguard of an international stabilization force.

Two months later, Israel has still not allowed the contract to move forward.

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