Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked President Donald Trump and other senior American officials to help Ukraine secure Elon Musk’s approval to use his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The request was made directly to Trump during an Oval Office meeting this week in Washington, where Zelensky traveled to attend the memorial service for the late Senator Lindsey Graham. He repeated the pitch to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, according to a person in the room. Trump did not commit to the request, and the White House, Ukraine’s embassy in Washington and SpaceX, which owns Starlink, did not respond to requests for comment.
The push comes as Zelensky looks for ways to offset a shortage of US Patriot air defense interceptors, which are in shorter supply while the American and Israeli war against Iran continues. Trump on Friday appeared to back away from a commitment to give Ukraine a license to produce Patriots, telling reporters at Camp David: “We’re talking about it. But it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology.”
Musk has allowed Ukraine to use Starlink inside its own territory, including Russian-occupied regions, but has restricted use of the satellite system inside Russia. Zelensky has been making the case for expanded access for at least several weeks, and the effort was first reported by The Atlantic on July 30.
“They need access to Starlink long term to make their longer-range and intermediate-range systems more accurate,” said Senator Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “They prefer to be exactly on target, as opposed to, in the general area. He made that pretty clear.”
Expanding Starlink access carries risk for Musk. The Associated Press reported in December that intelligence services of two NATO nations suspect Russia is developing an anti-satellite weapon designed to target the Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel. Russia views Starlink as a grave threat, and the thousands of low-orbiting satellites have been pivotal to Ukraine’s survival since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Zelensky also reiterated Ukraine’s need for more Patriot systems and a licensing agreement to build them domestically. He has sought to tie Ukraine’s war to the US campaign against Iran, telling senators that Kyiv can help counter Iranian drone attacks on American bases in the Middle East. “He has been very emphatic they are going to provide more aid to us in unmanned warfare,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.
Zelensky spoke with lawmakers late Tuesday ahead of a Senate vote on a punishing new Russia sanctions package, which advanced toward a final vote expected next week. Senators said the requests he made were consistent with what he told them earlier in July at the NATO summit in Turkey, as Trump’s relationship with Zelensky has improved while Ukraine has gained strength on the battlefield.
Sources: NDTV (AP), The Atlantic
Author: Russia Desk
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