Musk still refusing to let Ukraine use Starlink for strikes on Russian territory, The Atlantic reports

According to The Atlantic, citing associates of former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, SpaceX owner Elon Musk is still refusing to allow Ukraine to use the Starlink satellite internet system to guide strikes against military targets on Russian territory. The report was relayed via European Pravda and picked up by Ukrainska Pravda.

Zelenskyy's request to Trump

The Atlantic had previously reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked US President Donald Trump during a meeting to approach Musk on Ukraine's behalf, seeking permission to use Starlink to help target the missile batteries Russia uses to strike Kyiv and other cities. Trump did not give a clear answer to the request at the time.

Fedorov's back-channel efforts

Since leaving his post as defence minister, Fedorov has continued trying to reach Musk through informal channels, but without success so far. Two close associates of Fedorov in Kyiv confirmed that Musk continues to decline.

"As of this moment, there is no positive decision," one associate said, adding that Musk keeps raising concerns that such strikes could further escalate the war with Russia. "Elon keeps saying it's time to make a deal," the associate said.

Background

Fedorov stated on 6 August that talks with Musk about using Starlink for strikes on Russian territory, including ballistic missile launch sites, are still ongoing.

It has also been reported that Trump, during a meeting last week in the Oval Office, turned down Zelenskyy's request for several hundred additional Patriot interceptor missiles ahead of winter. Earlier, during the public portion of a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit on 8 July, Trump said the US would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot systems, though he later said no final decision had been made on producing the interceptor missiles, citing a need for caution.