Zelensky awards Elon Musk Order of Freedom

On August 26, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine awarded American entrepreneur Elon Musk the Order of Freedom. The Ukrainian leader presented the prestigious award to Musk for his significant contributions to protecting human life and freedom, as well as fostering relations between Ukraine and the United States. Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, was recognized for his efforts to support Ukraine's defense capabilities.

During a July meeting at the White House, Zelenskyy had requested U.S. President Donald Trump to request Musk's permission to use Starlink on Russian territory to target ballistic missile launchers. However, Musk had initially declined to grant Ukraine the ability to use Starlink on Russian territory. Mykhailo Fedorov, the former defense minister, has been attempting to reach Musk through informal channels since his dismissal, but Musk has thus far refused.

In winter, Musk responded to a request to help solve the issue of Russian use of Starlink on strike drones, and in March 2025, he stated that he would never shut down the Starlink network for Ukrainian troops, despite his disagreement with Ukraine's policy. Musk firmly maintained that the Ukrainian front line would collapse if Starlink were shut down.