Putin Rejects Energy Truce, Zelensky Warns Over Starshield Caps

Russian President Vladimir Putin personally rejected a proposal for a bilateral energy ceasefire, while renewed speed restrictions on Starshield satellite terminals across Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory are impeding Ukrainian interceptor drones from downing jet-powered Shahed drones, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Friday, Nov. 13. Zelensky stated that during recent US-mediated consultations in Abu Dhabi, the Russian delegation claimed it lacked the mandate to agree to an armistice, deferring the decision directly to the Kremlin leader.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Following subsequent talks in Moscow between Putin and US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Kyiv received confirmation that Moscow refused the energy truce. “In the end, it was agreed that the American team would fly to Putin and talk about it. As of today, it is what it is. A ceasefire is not supported personally by Putin,” Zelensky said. Zelensky dismissed Russia’s ‘humanitarian’ proposal in Kostiantynivka Zelensky rejected Putin’s proposal to conduct a “humanitarian operation” in the contested eastern city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, describing it as a transparent military ploy designed to capture the town and open an offensive corridor toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. “The Russian story about the ‘civilian population’ in Kostiantynivka is Putin’s reaction to the fact that he failed to capture Kostiantynivka. It is an absolutely primitive move, because otherwise he cannot take this city,” Zelensky said. Other Topics of Interest Poland will join France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and EU institutions to represent Europe at upcoming Ukraine peace talks, António Costa has announced. The president explained to American interlocutors that Russian forces have failed to seize Kostiantynivka over 18 months of combat and are seeking to replicate tactics used during a recent localized truce in occupied Oleshky, where Russian units rotated troops and brought in heavy equipment under humanitarian cover. “If civilian lives mattered to them, they could have proposed similar operations in the villages near Oleshky. But Russia did not propose any of those villages. What did they propose? Kostiantynivka. Why? Because after Kostiantynivka come Kramatorsk and Sloviansk,” Zelensky added. How are Starshield restrictions impacting Ukrainian air defenses? Zelensky warned that a 161-kilometer-per-hour (100-mile-per-hour) speed limit imposed on Starshield military satellite connections across temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories carries dangerous political implications and degrades frontline air defense operations. “Unfortunately, Starshield is restricted. The speed is limited to a maximum of 161 km/h in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. They know my position. If they have returned to a decision where there are no restrictions on Ukrainian territory, but restrictions remain on temporarily occupied territory, such a decision is very dangerous because it already sounds political,” Zelensky stated. He emphasized that differentiating connectivity rules between government-controlled and occupied areas implicitly undermines Ukraine’s sovereign borders, noting that Ukrainian interceptor platforms – such as Bars drones reliant on Starshield – can no longer engage high-speed Russian jet-powered Shahed drones near the front lines before they reach Ukrainian cities. Zelensky noted that the restrictions have persisted for five days despite SpaceX telling Ukraine’s Defense Ministry that it had not implemented any changes – a claim that contradicts earlier assurances from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Starshield operates primarily under US government authority rather than SpaceX. US lawmakers respond to the Starshield disruptions Zelensky’s warnings coincided with an escalating congressional oversight push in Washington on Friday, as senior Democratic lawmakers demanded accountability over the satellite restrictions. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons sent a four-page letter to SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk demanding the preservation of all internal communications, network logs, software changes, and correspondence with the White House, Pentagon, and Russian officials dating back to Sept. 1, setting a Nov. 30 compliance deadline. “The October and November restrictions now raise the disturbing possibility that these vulnerabilities persist even within systems on which the US government relies,” Shaheen and Coons wrote. Separately, House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks and House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith condemned the renewed limits in a joint statement, warning that previous Starshield restrictions contributed to Ukrainian civilian casualties and strengthened Putin’s negotiating hand while criticizing Donald Trump, Witkoff, and Kushner for pressuring Kyiv over territorial concessions. 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