Zelensky asked Trump to expand Starlink use for strikes against Russia. Musk himself declined a meeting with the Ukrainian leader

At a closed meeting at the White House on July 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked U.S. President Donald Trump for permission to expand the use of the Starlink satellite network for strikes deep into Russian territory.

This was reported by The Atlantic, citing sources.

According to the outlet, Trump did not give a specific answer to the request. He said he would consider it but did not specify whether he would agree. As The Atlantic notes, the U.S. president’s final decision will depend on whether he concludes that it would help accelerate the end of the conflict.

During his visit to the United States, Zelensky also sought a personal meeting with Elon Musk, who owns Starlink’s operator, SpaceX. However, the businessman declined the invitation.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that Musk “pull back” the Starlink satellites so that “people would not die.” This came in response to the entrepreneur’s criticism of diplomats calling on Moscow to withdraw its troops, in which he stated that Russian authorities would not take such a step. In an interview with The Economist, Musk said the Ukrainian conflict would end when concessions were made in Russia’s favor.

In 2025, Musk described Starlink as “the backbone of the Ukrainian army,” stating that if access to the system were cut off, the entire front line of the Ukrainian Armed Forces would collapse. By spring of last year, Ukraine had more than 50,000 Starlink terminals, some of which are connected to the more secure Spaceshield version. In January of this year, Musk responded with “always happy to help” to Kyiv’s expression of gratitude for his work on preventing the Russian side from using Starlink satellite communications.

Russia opposes any assistance to Ukraine, including military aid, and believes it only prolongs the conflict.