US senators proposed Ukraine expand access to Starlink in exchange for pause in strikes on Russian oil refineries - WSJ
Republican U.S. senators offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to temporarily halt strikes on Russian energy facilities in exchange for expanding the Armed Forces of Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite communications on Russian territory. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Ukrainian president expressed readiness to support such a proposal.
This was reported on October 16 by the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal.
According to the publication, the proposal was presented to Zelensky by Senators Roger Wicker and Kevin Cramer during a visit to Kyiv on October 9. Along with them, members of the U.S. House of Representatives Dan Crenshaw and Mark Vizi visited Ukraine.
The American legislators held meetings with representatives of the Ukrainian defense ministry, and at the end of the visit discussed a possible agreement with the president of Ukraine.
The proposed mechanism envisages that Ukraine would suspend strikes on Russian energy facilities for 100 days. In return, Ukrainian military would get expanded possibilities to use Starlink approximately 300 kilometers deep into Russian territory.
As WSJ explains, such access would allow Ukraine to more effectively counter Russian missile attacks, in particular to hit the launchers from which strikes on Ukrainian cities are carried out.
This is especially important against the backdrop of a shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems.
According to the publication, Zelensky agreed with the idea of the American legislators and expressed readiness to halt strikes on Russian energy targets for the proposed period.
At the same time, it is unknown whether the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump supports such an agreement. There is currently no official confirmation of its conclusion or a decision on expanding access to Starlink.
American legislators support expanding Starlink
The meeting of Zelensky with the U.S. Congress delegation on October 9 is confirmed by the official website of the President of Ukraine.
According to the report of the Presidential Office, the parties discussed military aid, strengthening air defense, sanctions pressure on Russia, and Ukraine's needs on the eve of winter.
Special attention was paid to accelerating the licensing of Patriot interceptor missile production.
However, the official statement about the talks did not mention the proposal to exchange a pause in strikes on Russian oil refineries for expanded access to Starlink.
During the visit, American legislators publicly supported the idea of expanding satellite communications capabilities for Ukraine.
Roger Wicker, who chairs the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed hope that a corresponding agreement could be reached. At the same time, he acknowledged that the use of the commercial Starlink network depends not only on the position of American legislators.
Proposal came against background of conflict over strikes on refineries
The senators' initiative came against the background of increased pressure from Washington on Kyiv demanding to halt strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
The Donald Trump administration links such attacks to the rise in world oil and petroleum product prices.
In recent days, the Ukrainian side also reported problems with receiving American intelligence information and restrictions in the operation of the Starlink and Starshield satellite systems used by the Defense Forces.
On October 15, in an interview with the Financial Times, Zelensky stated about the resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries after a short pause, which Ukraine agreed to at the request of the U.S.
According to the president, during this period Russia continued to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure, so there were no grounds to maintain unilateral restrictions.
At the same time, Zelensky allowed the possibility of a new pause in strikes on Russian refineries in exchange for additional American Patriot interceptor missiles.
Thus, the senators' proposal regarding Starlink is another possible option for an agreement between Kyiv and Washington. However, the decision of American legislators by itself does not guarantee a change in the rules for using the satellite network, and there is no information about final approval of the terms by both states.
Source materials: The Wall Street Journal, Office of the President of Ukraine, Financial Times