A major drone attack hit the Moscow region, according to reports, after Ukraine's satellite communications were restored. Videos shared on social media show fires breaking out across the city, after Ukraine allegedly targeted industrial and warehouse facilities.
Starlink access restored after White House order
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Mr Hegseth had assured him that the vital Starlink satellite communications system was back up and running amid renewed tensions between the US and Ukraine. According to two US officials and a Western official, the order to limit the satellite system came from inside the White House, although Streeting said it remained unclear what had caused the disruption.
Streeting sought to use his first visit to Washington DC as Defence Secretary to bolster ties that have been strained by issues including President Donald Trump’s stance on Kyiv and the widening US-Nato rift.
Zelensky accuses Trump of betrayal
The attack comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited London and said Mr Trump had betrayed his country by limiting its use of US-made Starlink terminals which are vital for the Ukrainian military. Mr Zelensky also wrote in a post on X: "All of us in Europe want this war to end. And for that to happen, strong signals are needed – more real pressure on Russia and more defence support for Ukraine. It is especially important now to act together to protect lives."
Streeting told the BBC on Thursday after a meeting with Hegseth: "Unsurprisingly we did discuss Starlink. It’s not yet clear to us in the UK what happened, why the service interruption occurred.
"But I am reassured, and was reassured directly by Secretary Hegseth, that the service has been restored. And that is a demonstration, I think, of the importance of the US contribution on intelligence sharing."
Streeting urges continued US support
The Defence Secretary evaded questions on what caused the disruption, saying instead: "This is not the first time we’ve seen a falling out between Washington and Kyiv. And as I said to Secretary Hegseth, in the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, ‘Where there is discord, may we bring harmony.’
"That has been the British approach in moments like this. That’s the diplomacy and the approach I’ve brought to Washington today.
"I’m here to solve problems, and the UK has been Ukraine’s number one ally. We will continue to play that role."
There have been mounting fears over the United States’ commitment to Kyiv, with the Starlink disruption following Mr Trump’s move to ease sanctions on Russian diesel. Mr Streeting earlier made the case for continuing American support for Ukraine in a talk held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and the Royal United Services Institute.
He warned that if Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression was rewarded, "the consequences will not remain confined to Ukraine or to my continent". Mr Streeting said: "Britain and America have never been content to simply watch history unfold. At defining moments, we have helped determine its course.
"The front line for freedom today can be found in Ukraine."
He continued: "Ukraine may be thousands of miles from American shores, but if aggression is rewarded, if borders can be redrawn by force, if the sovereignty of nations becomes negotiable, the consequences will not remain confined to Ukraine or to my continent.
"So standing with Ukraine is not a choice between our values and our self-interest. It is a recognition that ultimately they are inseparable."
