Musk opposes Ukraine using Starlink-equipped drones for strikes inside Russia - Kyiv Independent

One source told the outlet that Musk does not believe allowing Ukraine to use Starlink for operations inside Russia would help end the war.

"Musk wants a deal in this war, not escalation," the source said.

The source also said Musk had held "extremely unsuccessful" talks with former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, after which the SpaceX CEO remained opposed to granting Ukraine permission to use Starlink for such operations.

The Financial Times reported on August 30 that Musk was open to Ukraine using Starlink-equipped drones to strike targets inside Russia but believed the decision required approval from the White House.

According to the Kyiv Independent, however, Musk's representatives told Ukraine after the talks with Fedorov that the Trump administration should decide whether to allow such operations. The administration, in turn, indicated that the decision should be made by SpaceX, a Ukrainian official told the outlet.

Previous confusion over Starlink approval

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on August 22 that a previous miscommunication between Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Musk and US President Donald Trump had already complicated Kyiv's efforts to secure permission.

According to Zelenskyy, the Defense Ministry had told him that Musk had approved the use of Starlink over Russia and that only Trump's authorization was needed.

Zelenskyy said he subsequently secured Trump's approval and agreed on a funding package with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, only to learn later that Musk had not given his approval.

Trump then accused Zelenskyy of having "tricked" him over the issue, the Ukrainian president said.

Zelenskyy said talks with Musk were continuing and that the SpaceX CEO viewed the proposed use of Starlink as an escalation, although Kyiv hoped further discussions could change his position.

Why Ukraine wants Starlink access over Russia

Ukraine has increasingly used Starlink-equipped drones against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory. The satellite connection allows drones to maintain high-speed communications that are extremely difficult to jam and are not constrained by the range of conventional radio links.

Starlink terminals, however, do not operate over Russian territory.

Extending access could help Ukraine target Russian military facilities, logistics and other targets deeper inside Russia. Kyiv also sees Starlink-equipped drones as a potential tool for rapidly striking mobile launchers used to fire Russian Iskander and North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine.

The issue has become particularly urgent as Ukraine faces a shortage of missiles for its Patriot air defense systems, currently its only systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.

Russia launched nearly 70 ballistic missiles at Ukraine during the first 10 days of August, only one of which was intercepted, according to Ukraine's Air Force.