Zelensky: Trump accused him of deception over Starlink deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Donald Trump had previously accused him of misleading the White House over the use of Starlink satellite communications over Russian territory.

This was reported by the Kyiv Independent.

Misunderstanding with Trump

According to Zelensky, in the first half of 2026 Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense informed him of SpaceX’s conditional agreement to allow the use of Starlink over Russian territory — subject to political approval. Zelensky passed this information to Trump, received preliminary consent, and then discussed European financing of the arrangement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.

However, at a subsequent meeting, Trump told Zelensky that Musk had refused to grant permission.

“He said that I had sort of deceived him, because Musk denied Ukraine the use of Starlink over Russian territory. I went back to our Ministry of Defense, and they said that was possibly exactly how it had been,” the Kyiv Independent quoted Zelensky as saying.

This episode appears to be connected to the dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who originally established Ukraine’s cooperation with SpaceX on Starlink matters and was controversially fired in mid-July.

The strategic case for Starlink access

Zelensky said that expanding Starlink coverage could undermine Russia’s ability to prolong the conflict.

“This could genuinely lead to a reduction in the very capabilities Russia is using to drag out the war,” he said.

Ukraine intends to use Starlink-equipped drones to strike Russian ballistic missile launchers located up to 200 kilometers deep inside Russian territory — beyond the range of conventional radio-controlled drones, which lose signal at that distance. SpaceX currently permits the use of Starlink on Ukrainian-controlled territory, including areas under Russian control such as Crimea, but blocks access to the network on Russian territory proper.

Cautious optimism

Despite Musk having expressed the view that granting Ukraine Starlink access over Russia would amount to escalation, Zelensky did not conceal a measure of restrained hope.

“Perhaps he will change his mind when he sees additional arguments,” Zelensky said.

He also added that his team and representatives of the Trump administration are continuing talks with Musk and have begun receiving “more encouraging feedback.” According to a Financial Times report from August 21, Trump ultimately did not support the Ukrainian proposal, but negotiations are ongoing.