A bipartisan group of nearly two dozen members of the US House of Representatives has appealed to President Donald Trump, urging him to persuade Elon Musk to grant Ukraine access to the Starlink satellite system to locate and destroy missile launchers on Russian territory.
The relevant letter, signed by seven Republicans and 16 Democrats, has been delivered to the White House, The Hill reports.
The lawmakers noted that a single phone call from the President could save lives and give Putin additional incentives to negotiate. They stressed that if Ukraine cannot reliably intercept Russian missiles, it must be able to neutralise the aggressor, and SpaceX’s satellite system could help with that.
The congressmen emphasised that they share Trump’s goal of ending the war, but that Putin currently has no intention of stopping the bloodshed.
The House appeal has strengthened a lobbying campaign in the Senate led by Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a number of US officials repeatedly called for expanded access to Musk’s satellites to strike Russian positions.
The lawmakers’ request comes amid outrage over disruptions to Starlink and its military version, Starshield, which have complicated the work of Ukraine’s air defences and offensive operations. A number of legislators have already called for an investigation into the restrictions on satellite communications, and some Republicans have vowed to block other initiatives in Congress unless policy on supporting Ukraine changes.
Context
- Earlier, Zelenskyy complained that Ukrainian troops were left without US warnings about the threat of ballistic missiles after strikes on Russian energy facilities were suspended. At the same time, Starlink satellite internet slowed across Ukraine, complicating the actions of Ukrainian forces on the front line and medium-range strikes on Russian military targets.
- According to the President, Ukrainian interceptor drones against jet-powered UAVs are currently unable to operate because Starlink has been limited to a maximum speed of 161 kilometres per hour.
- Ukraine tried to determine whether the cause was technical problems at SpaceX or a deliberate restriction. To do so, it sent several vehicles with Starlink to EU countries. It turned out that the restrictions apply only on Ukrainian territory, not in the EU.
- In response, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advised Zelenskyy to be more cautious with accusations against the United States regarding Starlink. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that they were not involved in restricting the system’s operation.
- The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, wrote that Musk may have personally ordered restrictions on the operation of the military satellite communications service Starshield in Ukraine.