Zelensky on Musk: Grateful for Starlink but Rejects His Stance on the War, Says He Has No Right to Influence Ukraine's Politics
Berlin — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF released on November 4, spoke about Elon Musk: he thanked Musk's SpaceX for providing Starlink connectivity that was very helpful at the beginning of the war, but said plainly that he does not like Musk's position on the war, and criticized Musk for attempting to influence political affairs in Ukraine and Europe.
Zelensky said he does not understand Musk's jokes about the deaths of Russian soldiers, calling them 'not the kind of jokes I can understand.' Asked whether Musk supports a Ukrainian victory, he said he does not know, and that the two last spoke at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion. He said Musk is a citizen of another country and has no right to influence questions such as who should lead Germany or Ukraine, and that concentrating enormous political power in the hands of a single wealthy individual is a danger to democratic institutions.
In the same interview, Zelensky said he hoped that the Democrats taking control of both chambers of the US Congress after the midterm elections would bring more help for Ukraine. He thanked Republicans for their assistance, while saying Democrats had expressed particularly clear commitments to supporting Ukraine and to restoring relations between Washington and Europe.
In a separate PBS interview, Zelensky was reported as saying that Musk had been in contact with both him and Russian President Vladimir Putin since the very start of the war. Ukraine's air defence and drone missions rely on connectivity from Starlink and its military version, Starshield; GSM reported in October that Musk had acknowledged SpaceX had imposed speed limits on Starlink service in Ukraine.
Related: Follow-Up: Musk Acknowledges SpaceX Starlink Speed Limits in Ukraine
Related: Zelensky in PBS Interview: Relationship With Trump Is 'Emotional'
Source: ZDF
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乌克兰总统泽连斯基（左）在欧盟委员会出席记者会。照片：Dati Bendo / European Union, 2025 / EC - Audiovisual Service，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) at a press conference at the European Commission. Photo by Dati Bendo / European Union, 2025 / EC - Audiovisual Service, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
