Ukraine seeks access to US military satellite network amid drone connectivity concerns

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned that limitations on satellite‑linked drones could undermine Ukraine’s ability to strike deep inside Russian‑held territory. In response, Secretary Rubio confirmed that Kyiv has formally requested entry to the U.S. military‑grade Starshield system to support high‑speed drone missions.

Rubio said the request is under active discussion but has not yet resulted in a transfer of the technology. He reiterated that the commercial Starlink service continues to operate normally and that any earlier outage was not caused by a deliberate policy decision from Washington.