Will Cole No Longer Be Coming To Belarus?
2- 24.10.2026, 12:36
Senators from both parties issued an ultimatum to Trump.
Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate have warned senior White House officials that they will block pending nominations put forward by Donald Trump until the administration ensures the restoration of satellite communications for the Ukrainian military. This is reported by The New York Times reports, citing three informed sources. The Senate is currently considering the nomination of U.S. Special Representative for Belarus John Cole for the new position.
According to the NYT, senators have not yet publicly announced this decision. A standoff could unfold during the so-called “lame-duck” session—Congressional sessions following the November midterm elections—when Republicans hope to confirm dozens of Trump’s nominees before the current Congress’s term ends.
The trigger was disruptions in the Starshield satellite network, operated by SpaceX , owned by Elon Musk. Last week, the Ukrainian military reported new restrictions on drone operations and suspected that someone in the Trump administration might have intentionally slowed down the network. Whether this was done—and by whom—remains unclear. According to the publication, Trump called Musk and asked him to restore full access to Ukraine. However, according to Ukrainian commanders and officials, as of Friday, serious disruptions persisted, and Washington has yet to explain why the connection was restricted.
As Senators Richard Blumenthal and Tom Tillis reported, during a phone call this week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy told them that satellite services were still experiencing disruptions, including for drones flying faster than 160 kilometers per hour. This is hindering Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian drones.
“Funding Russia’s war machine, disrupting Ukraine’s satellite communications, and undermining its air defense—all of these are obstacles to peace,” the senators said in a joint statement.
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent who worked in Kyiv on counterintelligence against Russia, threatened to push for the dismissal of officials involved in the disruptions and for budget cuts to their agencies.
“Personally, I don’t buy the coincidence argument,” he told the NYT.
On September 29, Donald Trump nominated John Cole to serve as his special envoy for hostage affairs with the rank of ambassador; the nomination was sent to the Senate for confirmation. Cole currently serves as Special Representative for Belarus. With his involvement, more than 500 Belarusian political prisoners were released, and Washington, in response, lifted some sanctions against Minsk. In October, Trump called Cole “an incredibly successful special representative for Belarus.”
Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims
You can contact us by the e-mail [email protected]
