Zelensky asks Trump to press Elon Musk to allow Starlink for strikes on Russian missile launchers
Zelensky reportedly asked Trump to press Elon Musk to permit Starlink to be used to target Russian missile launchers; the idea was raised during a July 28 closed White House meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked US President Donald Trump to intervene with Elon Musk and secure permission for Ukraine to use Musk's Starlink satellite communications network to target Russian ballistic missile launchers, two officials familiar with the exchange said. The request took place during a closed-door meeting at the White House on July 28.
According to those officials, Zelensky presented the idea as an alternative to sending advanced Patriot air‑defense missiles from the United States. Trump neither accepted nor rejected the proposal at the meeting, leaving the matter unresolved.
The proposal and its rationale
The newly reported proposal, which had not been made public before, would give Washington a way to avoid transferring Patriot systems — weapons whose stockpiles the officials said were dramatically depleted by the US war in Iran — while still helping Kyiv counter Russian missile threats.
Instead of additional Patriot deliveries, the plan envisions expanding Ukraine's use of Starlink, the satellite service controlled by Elon Musk, to help guide Ukrainian drones in strikes on Russian ballistic missile launchers.
Trump commented on the wider issue of Patriots during or after the meeting: "I'm not sure whether Ukraine should be allowed to produce missiles for the Patriot," said Trump. Officials present described the discussion as open-ended and said no immediate decisions were made.
Photo: EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO / POOL
