Zelenskyy says SpaceX did not respond to contact attempts after Starshield restrictions
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wanted to speak with Elon Musk after SpaceX restricted Ukraine's use of its Starshield satellite communications service in October, but his attempts to establish contact were unsuccessful.
Speaking to PBS News, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Musk at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion and remained grateful for the company's satellite communications support.
However, he questioned Musk's attitude toward Ukraine.
"Sometimes, his old signals about us, about Ukraine - I mean, it's not pro-Ukrainian position," Zelenskyy said.
He added that he wanted to discuss several issues with Musk following the restrictions, "but they didn't connect with us."
SpaceX restricted Ukraine's military Starshield service in mid-October, disrupting some drone operations. The service was restored to operational speeds on October 24.
Media reports subsequently suggested that Musk had ordered the restrictions, while the White House denied involvement and attributed the disruption to a technical issue.
Zelenskyy said he was unsure whether Musk could have imposed the restrictions on the military system without the involvement of US government officials.
He also revealed that he had asked President Donald Trump three or four times to lift existing Starshield restrictions so Ukrainian forces could identify and strike Russian ballistic missile launchers.
According to Zelenskyy, Trump said he supported the request but that the decision depended largely on SpaceX.
The Ukrainian president emphasized that the proposed use of Starshield would be limited to targeting missile launch sites rather than conducting broader strikes on Russian territory.