Musk 'may change his mind' on using Starlink over Russian territory, Zelensky says
"So far, he has said that this constitutes an escalation," President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Aug. 22. "However, he may change his mind once he sees further arguments."
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on August 22 that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk may reconsider his stance on allowing Ukraine to use Starlink internet service over Russian territory. Musk initially prohibited the use of Starlink for Russian forces in February 2026, which significantly aided Ukraine's battlefield successes throughout the year.
However, Musk has expressed reluctance to permit Starlink use on drones that enter Russian airspace. Zelensky believes that providing Starlink to Ukraine could weaken Russia's ability to prolong the war by disrupting their logistics routes and targeting their military installations. Despite this potential advantage, Musk has been hesitant to extend Starlink coverage to Russian territory.
Zelensky also mentioned a past miscommunication with Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, which not only failed to secure the Starlink access over Russia but also strained Ukraine's relationship with the White House. Zelensky expressed hope that ongoing talks between Ukraine, Musk, and the Trump administration could lead to a breakthrough, as the Ukrainian forces have already started receiving encouraging feedback from the discussions.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
