Elon Musk Rejects Ukrainian Request to Enable Starlink for Deep Strikes Inside Russia
Musk said permitting the system for deep strikes could widen the war and risk escalation, while Ukraine sought it as a cheaper alternative to Patriots.
- On July 28 at the White House, President Volodymyr Zelensky asked President Donald Trump to persuade Elon Musk to lift Starlink geographical restrictions, seeking to guide long-range strikes against Russian missile launchers.
- SpaceX originally donated Starlink for communications after the February 2022 invasion, but SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell stated in early 2023 the company restricted drone-control capabilities, calling such uses "unintentional and not part of any agreement."
- After Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles on August 5, killing 17 people, Kyiv reported it received only one-third of the interceptors it obtained last year, intensifying pressure for alternative defensive solutions.
- Trump remained noncommittal regarding the request, and Washington confirmed on August 3 that it will not allow Ukraine to domestically produce Patriot interceptor missiles, further constraining Kyiv's defensive options.
- Musk previously rejected Kyiv's 2023 request to activate coverage around Sevastopol, arguing that enabling offensive strikes would make SpaceX "explicitly complicit" in a "major act of war.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Ukraine wants to destroy Russian missile positions, but it needs the help of Elon Musk.
Ukraine is facing another heavy winter of war. It lacks air defense missiles to launch ballistic missiles from Russia. That's why Kiev intends to attack the launch ramps in the future - in Russia. But Ukraine needs the support of Elon Musk for this.
Zelenskyy Asked Trump to Persuade Elon Musk to Let Ukraine Use Starlink Against Russian Missile Launchers
Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Donald Trump during closed-door White House talks on 28 July to persuade Elon Musk to let Ukraine expand its use of Starlink, The Atlantic reported, citing two officials familiar with the conversation. The aim is to guide drone strikes against Russian ballistic missile launchers inside Russia rather than trying to intercept the missiles after launch. Trump was reportedly noncommittal.
Kiev fails to stop Russian ballistic shelling due to a lack of interceptors in its anti-aircraft systems
U.S. technology billionaire Elon Musk now refuses to grant Ukraine permission to use the Starlink satellite network to launch attacks on Russian territory, reported The Atlantic, taken over by Kyiv Post.
Visionary and technology entrepreneur Elon Musk disagrees with Ukraine's use of Starlink satellite systems to attack Russia and believes it is time for the warring parties to make peace, writes The Atlantic.
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