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Elon Musk, the 52-year-old billionaire and CEO of SpaceX, reportedly contemplated pulling Starlink satellite internet from Ukraine after having a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The potential decision came after the Ukrainian military experienced outages near the front lines separating them from Russian occupiers. Colin Kahl, former US undersecretary of defense for policy, revealed that he was tasked with ensuring Musk did not switch off the satellite network altogether. Kahl emphasized the importance of the satellites in Ukraine’s war efforts, as they are used to coordinate drone strikes and gather intelligence.

According to Kahl, Musk expressed concerns about Starlink’s involvement being perceived as enabling the Ukrainian war effort in Russia. He wanted to address Russian concerns and alleviate the growing tension. Musk claimed that he could observe the entire war unfolding through the Starlink terminals. These claims were made shortly after Musk boasted about his “great conversation with Putin.” Reid Hoffman, co-founder of PayPal with Musk, also stated that Musk was influenced by Putin’s perspective on the conflict in Ukraine.

Starlink outages affected Ukrainian units in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Last year, Musk faced criticism for tweeting a “peace” proposal that suggested Ukraine should cede territory to Russia. He had also previously mentioned that Ukraine should hold sovereignty referendums similar to those organized by Russia in the occupied regions. In response to the backlash, Musk clarified that SpaceX’s support for Ukraine exceeded its support for Russia.

In June, the Pentagon announced a deal with SpaceX to maintain the use of the Starlink system in Ukraine, providing the country with uninterrupted access. The specific terms of the agreement are unknown.

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