Musk refused to provide Ukraine with Starlink to strike Russian missile batteries
American tech billionaire Elon Musk is currently refusing to allow Ukraine to use Starlink on Russian territory to counter Russian missile strikes.
As previously reported by this publication, during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the American leader to reach out to Elon Musk.
Musk’s company, SpaceX, operates the Starlink satellite system, which the Ukrainian military actively uses to maintain communications.
According to The Atlantic, Zelenskyy wants to use Starlink to guide strikes against Russian missile batteries from which Russia is shelling Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
At the same time, Trump did not give a clear answer to this proposal.
Since being dismissed from his post as defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov has been trying to negotiate with Musk through informal channels to expand the capabilities of Starlink, two of his close associates in Kyiv told the publication.
However, no agreement has been reached so far.
“At this point, there is no positive decision,” said one of Fedorov’s associates.
According to him, Musk continues to argue with Fedorov regarding the risk of further escalation of the war by Russia.
“Elon keeps saying that it’s time to strike a deal,” the source noted.
Earlier, media outlets reported that during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, Donald Trump rejected Ukraine’s request for hundreds of additional interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems ahead of winter.
This information was reported by The Atlantic.
As a reminder, after the Russian military stopped using Starlink satellite communications, Russia stepped up development of its own system called “Rassvet.” However, the project is significantly behind schedule and has not yet become a full-fledged alternative to the American network.
