President Donald Trump, center, walks from Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Friday, July 31, 2026, from Camp David, the presidential retreat. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-07-31T21:33:13Z<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a><\/span> has pitched President Donald Trump<\/a><\/span> and other American officials on helping Ukraine win permission from tech titan Elon Musk<\/a><\/span> to use his Starlink satellite communications system<\/a><\/span> to guide strikes inside Russia.<\/p>\n The push for expanded use of Starlink comes as Zelenskyy looks for alternate ways to mitigate the need for U.S. Patriot air defense systems<\/a><\/span> to thwart the steady barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian territory. The interceptors are in shorter supply<\/a><\/span> as the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran continues to rage, and Trump on Friday appeared to back away from a recent commitment<\/a><\/span> to give Ukraine a license to produce them.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy made the request directly to Trump in an Oval Office meeting this week during his whirlwind trip to Washington, according to one person familiar with the matter. He also told lawmakers later on Capitol Hill that he wanted Starlink to help with targeting inside Russia, according to a person in the room. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive private discussions. Trump did not commit to Zelenskyy\u2019s request.<\/p>\n Musk has allowed the Ukrainians to use Starlink inside their own territory, including in Ukrainian regions occupied by the Russians, but has restricted use of the satellite system inside Russia.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy has been making the case for expanded use of Starlink with U.S. officials for at least several weeks. The White House, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington and officials at SpaceX, which owns Starlink, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Zelenskyy\u2019s request. Zelenskyy\u2019s efforts to get Musk\u2019s permission to use Starlink to help with Ukrainian attacks inside Russia was first reported by The Atlantic.<\/p>\n Granting permission for an expanded use of Starlink could come with risk for Musk. The Associated Press reported in December that two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Musk\u2019s Starlink<\/a><\/span> constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel. <\/p>\n The intelligence findings were shown to the AP on condition that the services involved were not identified, and the news organization was not able to independently verify the findings\u2019 conclusions.<\/p>\n Russia views Starlink as a grave threat, the findings indicate. The thousands of low-orbiting satellites have been pivotal for Ukraine\u2019s survival against Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion,<\/a><\/span> which began in February 2022.<\/p>\nZelenskyy has been pushing to expand Starlink use for weeks<\/h2>\n