U.S. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal intends to raise the issue of using the Starlink satellite system to assist Ukraine in its war against Russia with U.S. President Donald Trump and businessman Elon Musk.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, he made this statement at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Blumenthal said Starlink was critically important and that one of the tasks he had been given by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was to try to persuade the U.S. President and others, including Elon Musk, on the issue of Starlink.
Responding to a follow-up question, the senator said he had not personally spoken with Musk but would be willing to do so.
Blumenthal added that he would look for ways to make such contact. He said Musk was more likely to listen to the U.S. President than to a single senator, but noted that Musk had responded to requests in the past and expressed hope that he would do so again.
According to Blumenthal, among other "tasks" for the Ukrainian leader are interceptors, missile defense, and sanctions against Russia.
Last week, President Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine is continuing negotiations with the United States regarding the possibility of using the Starlink satellite system on Russian territory for Ukrainian defense purposes.
Earlier, media outlets reported that Trump did not support Ukraine's request to help secure permission from Musk to use Starlink for Ukrainian long-range drones on Russian territory.
