Trump rejected Zelenskyy’s secret request over Starlink - FT
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump did not want to negotiate with American billionaire Elon Musk over expanding Starlink coverage for Ukraine, even after a personal request from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reports the Financial Times.
According to insiders, Zelenskyy asked Trump to negotiate with Musk about expanding Starlink coverage for the Ukrainian Armed Forces beyond Ukraine — into Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader explained to the White House chief that this would help the Defense Forces more effectively “hunt” Russian missile launchers. In this way, the Ukrainian Armed Forces could disrupt launches of enemy ballistic missiles and more.
According to FT sources, Zelenskyy’s proposal was for Musk to allow Ukraine to use Starlink on long-range strike drones at distances of up to 200 km inside Russia, which would include infrastructure for launching ballistic missiles, command systems and other resources.
The reason was that Ukrainian authorities had been unable to convince Musk on their own, so they were counting on Trump’s help in the matter.
However, according to insiders, the US president rejected Zelenskyy’s request.
Trump avoided making commitments and, according to people at the meeting in the Oval Office, did not support the plan. They said that, in their view, Musk would not give Kyiv approval, the article says.
Drones with Starlink support use SpaceX’s satellite network, which allows them to maintain more stable communication with operators at significantly greater distances than traditional radio channels. This also makes them less vulnerable to conventional jamming methods.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported how Trump assessed his meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House.
We also explained what influenced the US president and his rhetoric toward Ukraine.
