EASTORA REPORT | Ukraine depends on Elon Musk’s satellites to communicate during a war. Its president now says the billionaire should not be trying to shape the country’s politics.
In an interview with Germany’s ZDF released Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky challenged Musk’s interventions in debates over who should govern Ukraine and Germany, and how Europe should be run. Wealth gave such remarks influence, he argued, but not political authority in another country.
Zelensky also questioned Musk’s view of Russia’s invasion, particularly his apparent concern over Russian military losses. Russian troops were fighting on Ukrainian soil, he said, not defending their own borders. He warned against allowing one wealthy individual to accumulate disproportionate political power, invoking the separation of powers as a safeguard.
The criticism came with a complication for Ukraine’s forces: Starlink. SpaceX’s satellite network helped keep Ukrainians connected after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Zelensky acknowledged that contribution even as he rejected the opinions of the man behind it.
“We are grateful to SpaceX for providing us with connectivity,” he told ZDF, adding that the service had proved especially useful at the beginning of the war. “Of course, we do not like his attitude toward this war.”
The argument extends beyond social media posts. At a Berlin security conference this week, Zelensky urged European countries to develop alternatives to Starlink, asking who controls the systems’ “on and off buttons.” For Kyiv, access to communications and the politics of their provider have become intertwined.
Zelensky also looked to a changed Washington after Democrats won both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterms. He thanked Republicans for past assistance but said Democrats had spoken more clearly about helping Ukraine and rebuilding US-European ties. Stronger financial and military support, he said, could influence Vladimir Putin as talks on ending the war continue.
Ukraine still needs the technology Musk’s company provides. Zelensky’s challenge is whether that dependence must also give its owner a voice in Uk