FT: SpaceX head Elon Musk willing to let Ukraine use Starlink to strike Russia
Billionaire Elon Musk is willing to let Ukraine use drones equipped with Starlink outside Ukraine’s own territory to strike targets inside Russia, according to Financial Times sources, who said he made the remark during a conversation with former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The FT’s sources did not specify when the conversation took place or under what circumstances. They said Musk told Fedorov he had no objection to Ukraine using the satellite system this way, but that the decision itself was political and would have to come from the White House.
The FT disclosed the conversation in an article about Fedorov’s trip to the United States, where he is seeking investors for a defense technology fund. Fedorov himself declined to comment on his conversations with Musk and would not say whether he planned to meet with the billionaire again during the trip.
The Atlantic reported in July that Fedorov and Musk had discussed the possibility of using Starlink for Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s internationally recognized territory. Musk also said such strikes would be possible “if Trump says to do it,” according to that report.
A later article from the same outlet reported that Musk still won’t allow Ukraine to use Starlink to strike Russia. He and Fedorov have been at odds over the risk of further escalating the war, and Musk “keeps saying it’s time to make a deal.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked U.S. President Donald Trump in July to press SpaceX owner Elon Musk into allowing Starlink to be used for targeting inside Russia.
Ukraine — which expects Russia to intensify strikes on its energy infrastructure — wants to use Starlink to help drones hit Russian missile launchers, destroying them before Russia can fire ballistic missiles and reducing Kyiv’s reliance on scarce Patriot interceptor missiles.
Zelensky awarded Musk Ukraine’s Order of Freedom, one of the country’s highest honors, on August 26.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.