Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a meeting with US…
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a meeting with US President Donald Trump, requested permission to use the Starlink satellite network to launch strikes against Russian territory.
Consensus
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zеленский requested U.S. President Donald Trump to help secure permission for using Starlink to guide drones in attacks on targets in Russia.
- The request was made during a closed-door meeting between Zelensky and Trump on July 28, 2025.
- Trump stated he would consider the request but did not give a definitive answer.
- The decision depends on whether Trump believes such a move would help accelerate the end of the conflict.
- Zelensky also requested a personal meeting with Elon Musk, which Musk declined.
Points of divergence
- Zelensky's request was motivated by the need to destroy Russian missile launchers before they could fire ballistic missiles, to reduce reliance on scarce Patriot interceptors. — meduza
- Zelensky's request was based on the need to target smaller and mobile targets, particularly ballistic missile batteries. — vedomosti
- Elon Musk previously refused Ukraine's request to use Starlink for attacks on Russian ships in Crimea in 2022, but later disabled Starlink access for Russian military forces in Ukraine in early 2026. — meduza
- Mikhail Fedorov, former Ukrainian defense minister, had close ties with Musk and was instrumental in disabling Starlink for Russian forces; his departure weakened Ukraine's access to Musk. — meduza
- Trump refused Zelensky's request to transfer 300 Patriot missile systems for winter use. — vm
- Ukraine is considering Starshield as an alternative to Starlink, though it is seen as more expensive and harder to integrate. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
Coverage (4 sources)
- Zelensky asked Trump to allow Starlink use for strikes deep into Russia — The Moscow Times
- War. Day 1619. Zelensky asked Trump to convince Musk to allow Starlink use for drone targeting in Russia. No clear answer yet — Meduza
- The Atlantic: Zelensky asked Trump to use Starlink for strikes on Russia — Ведомости
- Media: Zelensky asked Trump to allow deep strikes into Russia using Starlink — Вечерняя Москва
Key entities
- Donald Trump
- Russia
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- The Atlantic
- Ukraine
- USA
- Media
- Ukrainian Armed Forces
- VPC
- Starlink
- NPZ
- Russia
- Meduza
- Maska
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