Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine sought approval from US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to use Starlink satellite internet over Russian territory for defense purposes, but Musk ultimately rejected the request.

Axar.az reports, citing RBC-Ukraine, that speaking to journalists, Zelensky said Ukraine’s Defense Ministry had asked him to explore the possibility of reaching an agreement with Trump in the first half of 2026.

“SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, had apparently already given the go-ahead for this – at least that's what I was told – and it supposedly only needed political approval,” Zelensky said.

He said he subsequently discussed the issue with Trump, who agreed that the US side would consult internally if SpaceX was prepared to approve the expansion.

However, Zelensky said Trump later told him that Musk had refused the request.

“He said that I had apparently misled him because Musk had refused to allow Ukraine to use Starlink over Russian territory. I went back to our Defense Ministry, and they said that might indeed have been the case,” Zelensky said.

According to Zelensky, Musk considers expanding Starlink coverage over Russia a potential escalation and believes efforts should focus on ending the war.

Zelensky said Ukrainian and US officials have continued discussions with Musk and that the response has recently become more encouraging.

Zelensky said that French President Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexander Stubb helped with the negotiations. He added that around 10 world leaders had been involved in efforts to resolve the issue.