Musk may open Starlink to Ukraine for attacks on Russia, but the decision depends on the White House — FT

American billionaire and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, in a conversation with former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov, stated the possibility of allowing Ukraine to use the Starlink satellite communication for operations outside Ukrainian territory. However, according to him, this requires a political decision from the White House.

This is reported by the Financial Times, citing anonymous sources familiar with the conversation.

According to them, Musk made it clear to Fedorov that he was technically ready to agree to the use of Starlink terminals by Ukrainian drones outside Ukraine, in particular during operations against targets on Russian territory.

At the same time, the businessman emphasized that he considers this issue political.

Musk named the condition

According to the FT, Musk said that he could provide appropriate access to Starlink only if such a decision is made in the White House.

Thus, the issue of the potential use of the satellite system for Ukrainian operations deep into the territory of the Russian Federation may depend not only on the position of SpaceX, but also on the US presidential administration.

Mikhail Fedorov did not publicly comment on the information about this conversation.

Fedorov is in Washington

On the eve, on August 30, Fedorov announced a working trip to Washington.

According to him, meetings with American entrepreneurs, representatives of technology companies and venture funds are planned during the visit.

One of the key areas of the negotiations should be the creation of a new defense technology investment fund.

Ukraine has already raised the issue of Starlink for strikes on Russia

The issue of using Starlink by Ukrainian drones for operations deep inside Russia has been raised before.

After SpaceX in February 2026 limited the ability of the Russian military to use Starlink terminals on the front, Ukraine began to seek wider opportunities for using satellite communications by its own forces.

In particular, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised this issue in conversations with US President Donald Trump.

According to available information, during the last meeting with Zelensky, Trump stated that he was ready to consider the relevant request and talk to Musk, but did not guarantee a positive decision.

Thus, according to the FT, the technical possibility of expanding the use of Starlink by the Ukrainian side may exist, but Musk links the final decision to the position of the White House.