Senators from the Republican and Democratic parties have warned the White House that they will block confirmation of US President Donald Trump’s government nominees unless the administration guarantees restoration of Ukraine’s access to satellite communications, TASS reported from New York on October 24, citing The New York Times and its sources.
The report said disagreements could intensify after the November 3 midterm elections, when Republicans are likely to try to secure confirmation of dozens of Trump nominees before the new Congress begins work.
Trump said on Thursday that Ukraine’s access to Starshield military-grade satellite communications had been restored. He was commenting on media reports that he had asked SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk to lift restrictions on the use of Starshield in Ukraine. Sergey Sternenko, a former adviser to the Ukrainian defense minister, later said the restrictions were still partly in place.
Earlier, Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of Florida called on Democratic lawmakers to stop advocating continuation of the Ukrainian conflict and to support Trump’s efforts to resolve it.