Fedorov's resignation complicated Ukraine's negotiations with Musk about Starlink, - FT

Ukraine is trying to persuade Elon Musk to allow the use of Starlink on attack drones for strikes against Russian ballistic missile launch sites. However, the negotiations are complicated by the fact that Mykhailo Fedorov, who had one of the best direct channels of communication with Musk, is no longer in the closest circle of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is reported by Financial Times.

According to the publication, it was Fedorov who for the past few years was among the key Ukrainian interlocutors of Musk and the leadership of SpaceX. He maintained contacts with the company's founder regarding issues of Starlink's operation, which became critically important for the Ukrainian army, military command systems and unmanned systems.

This communication channel has already brought practical results to Ukraine. In February, Fedorov, who then headed the Ministry of Defense, directly appealed to Musk regarding the unauthorized use of Starlink by Russian forces.

After that, SpaceX blocked the relevant terminals. According to Ukrainian officials and military personnel, this quickly affected the capabilities of Russian forces, and Russian military bloggers also complained that the restrictions hindered offensive operations.

Now Kyiv again needs Musk's decision, but it's much more difficult. Ukraine wants to obtain permission to use Starlink on its own attack drones for strikes against targets on Russian territory, particularly infrastructure that supports ballistic missile launches.

According to FT information, Zelenskyy, during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House in July, asked him to speak with Musk about such an expansion of Starlink's use. It involved the possibility of using drones against Russian military targets outside Ukraine.

However, the publication's sources claim that Trump reacted to the proposal without much enthusiasm and did not clearly agree to help. They also expressed doubt that Musk would agree to Ukraine's request.

An additional problem was Fedorov's resignation from the post of Minister of Defense last month. FT calls him one of the most effective members of the Ukrainian government and an important mediator in Kyiv's relations with Silicon Valley.

Fedorov himself after his dismissal continued communicating with Musk, but admitted that achieving the decision Ukraine needs has not yet been possible.

"Let's just say that right now it's a difficult task to achieve, through this communication, the result that we need," - Fedorov said on August 6.

Last week, in an interview with CBS News, he called Musk "probably the most important tech person and entrepreneur in the world for our country" and emphasized that blocking Russian use of Starlink helped protect Ukrainian air defense and aviation.

After Fedorov publicly thanked Musk on social network X on Monday, the businessman replied that he tries "to do the right things" and hopes for a quick peace. He said nothing about Ukraine's request regarding the expansion of Starlink's use.

Ukraine is seeking such permission amid an acute shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles. Kyiv considers strikes against Russian launch sites and related infrastructure as one of the ways to reduce dependence on intercepting already launched ballistic missiles.