Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked US President Donald Trump to allow Ukraine to use Starlink, the SpaceX satellite internet network, to help guide strikes on Russian territory, according to two reports published on 23 September. The request was made at the leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on 22 September. On both accounts, Trump did not answer it himself — he sent the Ukrainian side to Elon Musk.
Both reports trace back to a single origin: a Newsmax journalist who described the exchange in a post on X. Neither outlet says it had a reporter in the room, and no participant has confirmed the exchange on the record. Starlink News has not independently verified the account. What follows separates what is attributed, to whom, and what is still missing.
Key facts
- Zelensky and Trump met in New York on 22 September during the UN General Assembly, Voennoe Delo reported.
- Ukraine asked for permission to use Starlink to guide strikes on Russian territory.
- Trump’s answer, as quoted by RBC-Ukraine: “You have to talk to Elon about it.”
- RBC-Ukraine’s account came from a Ukrainian official speaking on condition of anonymity to Newsmax.
- Kyiv also told the US side it is ready for an energy ceasefire with Russia, both outlets reported.
- No comment from SpaceX, Musk, the White House or Newsmax appears in either report, and none had replied to Starlink News by publication.
What Trump is reported to have said
“You have to talk to Elon about it.” — Trump’s reply to the Ukrainian request, as quoted by RBC-Ukraine
That one sentence is the whole of Trump’s reported answer. RBC-Ukraine attributed it to the anonymous Ukrainian official; Voennoe Delo carried the same substance without the direct quote, saying Trump referred the matter to Musk, who heads Starlink. Neither outlet reports that Trump endorsed the request, rejected it, or set any condition on it.
Why Kyiv wants Starlink cleared for strikes inside Russia
Ballistic launchers and an air-defence shortfall
RBC-Ukraine set out the military reasoning behind the request. In recent months, the outlet reported, Russia has carried out massive attacks on Ukraine using drones and especially ballistic missiles. To destroy the launchers used for those ballistic missiles, and given what the outlet described as Ukraine’s shortage of air defence missiles, Ukraine needs permission for its military to use Starlink, including over Russian territory. In that framing, the terminals are not a communications convenience but part of the targeting chain for long-range strikes.
Analysis: the request points at a company as much as a government
The following paragraph is Starlink News’s own reading, not a claim made by either outlet. Where Starlink may be switched on, and for what, is controlled by SpaceX’s service-area settings rather than by the customer, so a US presidential blessing alone would not open coverage over Russia. Trump’s reported answer acknowledges that: the decision he declined to make is one a satellite operator would have to execute. Neither report says Trump framed it that way, and neither says Washington has asked SpaceX to act.
What was said in public, and what was not
The Starlink exchange happened away from cameras. Voennoe Delo reported that before the closed-door session — which it put at roughly 40 minutes — the two leaders appeared briefly before reporters, with Trump taking the lead and fielding questions. Zelensky limited his public remarks to thanking the US side and saying he wanted the conflict to end before winter.
Starlink News has put the reported request to SpaceX’s media address and to the White House press office, and has asked Newsmax to confirm the post by its own reporter. None had responded at the time of publication; SpaceX has for years not maintained a conventional press operation and rarely answers media queries. Neither report cites any statement from Musk about the New York meeting. This article will be updated if any of them comments.
Background: the earlier refusals
This was not the first approach, and the pattern matters for reading the latest one.
- Earlier in the war: Musk has said publicly that he declined a request to extend coverage over Crimea for a drone attack on Russian naval targets, arguing that SpaceX would have been complicit in a major escalation.
- Undated prior request: Voennoe Delo reported that Kyiv had already gone to SpaceX and to Musk directly, asking to use Starlink to support drone attacks on Russian missile launchers, and that Trump did not back the initiative at the time.
- Late August 2026: RBC-Ukraine reported that Zelensky said Ukraine had tried to reach an agreement with both Trump and Musk on using Starlink inside Russia, and that Musk ultimately refused.
- Musk’s stated reasoning: RBC-Ukraine, citing sources who spoke to The Atlantic, reported that Musk sees a risk of further escalation and believes the time has come for a peace agreement.
- 22 September 2026: the same request is put to Trump at leader level in New York, and is referred back to Musk.
The through-line in the reporting is one request, repeated at progressively higher levels, with the same unresolved outcome.
Starlink’s contested role in the war
The request lands in a week of other reporting on how the network is being used at the front, including drones flying on Starlink-linked satellite internet over Crimea. Control of the hardware itself has also been contested: Starlink News reported this week that the SBU detained two people in Lviv over 14 Starlink terminals.
Where the dishes may legally operate at all is a separate question from what they may be used for. Starlink availability is granted licence by licence, and the satellite internet service is sold at national prices that vary widely between markets — both of which readers can follow through our tracker of Starlink country approvals, which logs approvals, bans and Starlink price levels country by country. Russia is not among the markets where the service is licensed, which is precisely why coverage over Russian territory would be a company decision rather than a retail one.
How much weight the two sources carry
The outlets
RBC-Ukraine is a Kyiv-based commercial news agency with an English-language edition and one of the larger newsrooms in Ukraine’s private media sector. Voennoe Delo is a Russian-language military-affairs site, also publishing in English, whose coverage of this story is a relay of the Newsmax post rather than original front-line reporting; it is not a widely cited outlet outside that niche, and readers should weigh it accordingly. Neither is the originator here: both are reporting a third party’s social-media account of a closed meeting, sourced in turn to one anonymous Ukrainian official.
Where the two reports differ
The outlets do not agree on the name of the Newsmax journalist who broke the account. Voennoe Delo names her as Naya Sazhaya; RBC-Ukraine names her as Nana Sajaia. Both attribute the same substance to her: that Ukraine raised Starlink with Trump and that Trump sent the matter to Musk. The mismatch is most likely a transliteration problem, but it is one more reason to treat the chain as unconfirmed until a named participant or Newsmax itself stands it up.
The outlets also frame the ceasefire element slightly differently. Voennoe Delo reported that Zelensky told Trump Kyiv was ready for an energy ceasefire; RBC-Ukraine reported that the Ukrainian side confirmed readiness for an energy truce with Russia. The two reports agree that the offer was made at the same meeting.
What happens next
Neither source reports a decision, a deadline or any scheduled contact between Ukraine and Musk on the Starlink question. On the wider diplomacy, RBC-Ukraine reported that Ukrainian negotiators were due to meet E3 representatives — France, Germany and the United Kingdom — after the New York talks, to discuss de-escalation ideas that would then be taken to the Russian side by Witkoff and Kushner.
The open questions Starlink News is tracking: whether Newsmax’s reporter stands by the account in her own byline, whether SpaceX confirms receiving any fresh request, and whether the White House says anything about having passed a wartime targeting decision to a private operator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly did Trump say when Ukraine asked about Starlink?
RBC-Ukraine quoted Trump as replying, “You have to talk to Elon about it.” The outlet attributed the quote to a Ukrainian official who spoke to Newsmax on condition of anonymity. Voennoe Delo reported the same substance: that Trump referred the Starlink question to Elon Musk rather than answering it himself.
Have SpaceX, Elon Musk, Newsmax or the White House confirmed the account?
No. Neither report carries a comment from SpaceX, Musk or the White House on the New York request. Starlink News put the account to SpaceX and to the White House press office and asked Newsmax to confirm its reporter’s post; none had responded at the time of publication. SpaceX has for years not run a conventional press operation and rarely answers media queries. This article will be updated if any of them responds.
Did Elon Musk ever explain why he refused Ukraine’s earlier request?
RBC-Ukraine, citing sources who spoke to The Atlantic, reported that Musk believes there is a risk of further escalation of the war. The same sources said Musk thinks the time has already come to reach a peace agreement. Musk has separately said in public that he declined an earlier request to extend coverage over Crimea for a drone strike on Russian naval targets, arguing SpaceX would be complicit in an escalation.
Is Starlink even available inside Russia?
Starlink holds no operating licence in Russia, and service areas are set by SpaceX rather than by the user, which is why a decision on use over Russian territory falls to the company. Approvals, bans and retail prices country by country are logged in our tracker of Starlink country approvals.
How long did Zelensky and Trump talk behind closed doors?
Voennoe Delo reported that the closed-door portion of the meeting in New York ran for about 40 minutes. Before it began, the two leaders briefly appeared in front of reporters, with Trump taking the lead in answering questions.
How did the Ukrainian side describe the meeting with Trump?
A Ukrainian official who spoke to Newsmax on condition of anonymity described the bilateral meeting as “very good” and very positive, according to RBC-Ukraine. The same official was the source for the account of the Starlink request.
Who were the E3 negotiators Ukraine was due to meet after the Trump talks?
RBC-Ukraine reported that Newsmax confirmed Ukrainian negotiators would meet representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, referred to as the E3, overnight on September 23 Kyiv time. The agenda was described as possible de-escalation efforts and ideas for Witkoff and Kushner, who would then speak with the Russian side.
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