Zelenskyy asks Trump to help unlock Starlink for strikes deep inside Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought a specific ask to the White House this week: get Elon Musk to let Ukraine use Starlink satellite communications to guide strikes against Russian positions deep inside Russian territory. The request, made during a closed-door meeting with President Donald Trump, represents a significant escalation in how private commercial technology gets weaponized in modern warfare. Trump reportedly agreed to consider the request but offered no firm commitment or timeline for engaging Musk on the matter. For now, Starlink remains restricted to operations within Ukrainian territory and nearby contested regions like Crimea. Why Starlink, and why now Patriot air defense interceptors are in shorter supply as US and Israeli military operations in Iran continue consuming inventory. Trump recently appeared to walk back a commitment to give Ukraine a license to produce them domestically, which effectively closed another door. Starlink has been a backbone of Ukrainian military communications since 2022, when the satellite constellation was initially deployed to support operations during the early months of the full-scale invasion. But its use has been deliber...