Fedorov Continues Negotiations with Musk
The former Ukrainian defense minister revealed that talks with the SpaceX owner remain active, but achieving the desired outcome is currently difficult.
The former Ukrainian defense minister revealed that talks with the SpaceX owner remain active, but achieving the desired outcome is currently difficult.
Mykhailo Fedorov, former Minister of Defense of Ukraine, confirmed on August 6, 2026, that he remains in contact with entrepreneur Elon Musk. The topic of their discussions is the potential use of the Starlink satellite internet system to counter Russian ballistic missiles.
"We are in contact with Musk; we last spoke a few days ago. And it is, let's say, currently a difficult task to achieve the outcome we need through this communication," Fedorov stated in an interview with his former advisor Serhiy Sternenko, as reported by Kyiv Independent.
Starlink terminals are not officially sold or supported in Russia, as SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, does not provide services there. Despite this, Russian forces have acquired them through third countries and use them in occupied Ukrainian territories for communication and drone operations.
Fedorov warned of serious consequences if Russia retains access to the network. This would, as he noted, give them "the ability to control operations from Moscow, fly over roads, change flight paths beyond the range of our radars and acoustic sensors, eliminate all F-16s and Patriots, and target all military objectives."
Fedorov's statement comes at a time when Ukraine faces a severe shortage of air defense systems to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. Patriot systems are currently the only weapons in Ukraine's arsenal capable of engaging such targets, but Kyiv is struggling with a significant shortage of Patriot interceptors, further exacerbated by the needs of the U.S. military related to the war in Iran.
Fedorov, who was controversially dismissed from his post in mid-July 2026, initially initiated negotiations with Musk to limit Russian forces' access to Starlink. This move is credited with helping Ukraine regain the initiative in early 2026 by disrupting Russian communications and logistics. Russian forces have since begun developing their own alternative, a satellite internet network called Rassvet, although the project's status and timeline remain unclear. Fedorov did not provide additional details on the current status of the negotiations.
