During closed-door talks at the White House on July 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Donald Trump to secure permission from Elon Musk to use the Starlink satellite network to guide Ukrainian strike drones against targets on Russian territory. This was reported on July 30 by The Atlantic, citing American and Ukrainian officials.
According to the outlet, Volodymyr Zelensky in effect proposed to the United States an alternative to supplying Ukraine with interceptors for Patriot systems, stocks of which have been sharply depleted by the US war with Iran.
Currently, Ukrainian long-range drones are guided to their targets using AI-based navigation systems. This is sufficient to strike large, stationary objects such as oil refineries or ammunition depots. However, destroying small and mobile targets — for example, trucks carrying ballistic missiles — requires precise real-time guidance, which the Starlink network can provide.
At present, SpaceX permits Ukraine to use Starlink only on Ukrainian territory, including occupied regions, and blocks use of the network inside Russia.
During his visit to the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky also attempted to arrange a meeting with Musk, but the billionaire declined the request. As an alternative, the Ukrainian side proposed considering the military Starshield network. However, integrating it into existing drone systems is significantly more complex and costly than standard Starlink.
Trump told Zelensky he would consider these requests but gave no guarantees regarding a final decision.
