Finnish president Stubb pleads with Musk to let Ukraine use Starlink against Russian missile launchers

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has pleaded with SpaceX owner Elon Musk to expand Starlink satellite internet coverage for Ukraine so it can strike Russian ballistic missile launchers located inside Russian territory.

Stubb made the appeal on Thursday in an interview with Reuters in New York, where world leaders have gathered for the UN General Assembly. “I plead that Elon Musk would give the Ukrainians the possibility to use Starlink in areas where there are ballistic missile launchers, either in the occupied territory of Ukraine or in Russia for strategic purposes because that would save lives,” he said.

With winter approaching, Ukraine faces an acute shortage of air defences against Russian ballistic missiles, and Kyiv officials believe switching on Starlink coverage over Russian territory would help it target the launchers firing them. Stubb, a staunch ally of Ukraine who also maintains good relations with Donald Trump, is the latest European leader to press Musk publicly on the issue.

He made a similar appeal at the International Space Summit in Paris on 10 September, Aviation Week reported. The Financial Times reported on 21 August that Ukraine is seeking permission to use Starlink-guided drones up to 200 kilometres inside Russia, and The Atlantic reported on 8 August that Musk has so far not agreed to give Ukraine access for such strikes. At their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on 22–23 September, Zelenskyy raised the issue with Trump, who replied that Ukraine should “talk to Elon” about it, Newsmax reported via The New Voice of Ukraine.

Separately, Polish authorities suspect sabotage after a fire on 23 September at a Starlink ground station in Poland serving Ukraine’s military; digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the systems are now operating normally, Reuters reported.