Republican Congressman Mike Turner has called for a congressional investigation into the reported disruption of Starlink communications used by Ukraine, saying the breakdown may have put lives at risk.
Mr Turner, who sits on the US Armed Services Committee, said the explanation from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the service had “sort of happened” to slow was not adequate.
“Absolutely not,” Mr Turner said when asked whether the explanation was sufficient. “There needs to be an investigation. There needs to be a congressional investigation.”
Starlink is used by Ukrainian forces for communications and to control drones. Mr Rubio said no one at the White House had ordered the service to be slowed and that, to his understanding, it had been restored.
Mr Turner said reports indicated that access remained inconsistent in parts of Ukraine. “People’s lives are at risk, and lives are lost over these things,” he said, calling for the service to be “completely restored”.
The Ohio Republican distinguished between Starlink, a commercial service owned by Elon Musk, and Starshield, which he described as covered by a US military contract. He said the policy had been established for Starshield to support Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression within Ukrainian territory.
Mr Musk has publicly opposed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he did not want Starlink used for offensive military action. Mr Turner nevertheless argued that the reported loss of access involved Ukraine defending itself against attacks inside the country.
The interview also covered US sanctions on Russia. Mr Turner said President Donald Trump had authority under legislation associated with Senator Lindsey Graham to impose or waive sanctions against the Russian government, individuals and governments or other entities doing business with Russia.
He said he would encourage Mr Trump to impose the sanctions, arguing that the legislation remained important even though the President had waived them. Mr Turner added that the President could still introduce sanctions in part or in full on a daily basis.
Asked whether he might withhold support for some of Mr Trump’s agenda during the lame-duck period, Mr Turner said it would depend on discussions about the waivers and rejected the need for political brinkmanship.
He also criticised European purchases of Russian energy, saying the European Union was the fourth-largest offender and that France had bought a quarter of a billion dollars’ worth in August.
On domestic politics, Mr Turner rejected the idea that he needed to distance himself from Mr Trump, despite Republican candidates in several states presenting themselves as willing to challenge the President when necessary.
“I don’t run with the president. I don’t run from the president,” he said, arguing that voters judged candidates on their individual records rather than on a party slate.
Mr Turner said Mr Trump’s endorsement and appearance at a rally in Ohio had highlighted his work on restoring the pensions of more than 5,000 Delphi workers. He said he had been pursuing the issue for more than a decade, although the legislation had not yet passed.
