Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the Order of Freedom to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday for giving Ukraine access to his company’s Starlink satellite internet service during the embattled country’s ongoing war with Russia.
The Order of Freedom, considered one of Ukraine’s highest state and civilian honors, was issued in a presidential decree published on the nation’s presidential website.
Zelensky bestowed the award to Musk “in recognition of his outstanding personal contributions to protecting human life and freedom, and to strengthening relations between Ukraine and the United States of America,” the website states.
The tech mogul has not publicly commented on receiving the award, nor has Ukraine’s president posted a statement on social media.
There have been tensions between the two due to differing views over Starlink access. Zelensky wants to use Starlink for Ukrainian military operations over Russian territory, but Musk believes that would escalate the conflict.
Starlink is primarily being used for Ukraine’s battlefield communications inside the country’s own territory, including regions occupied by Russian forces. But Russia is entirely off limits.
SpaceX began cracking down on Russia’s unauthorized use of Starlink terminals in February. The dispute over Ukraine’s expanded Starlink access spilled into public view more recently, leading to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal last month.
There was confusion over whether Musk’s SpaceX had given the war-torn country unfettered access to Starlink for military operations inside Russia. Zelensky said the inaccurate information caused further tensions with President Donald Trump, who accused his Ukrainian counterpart of deceiving him.
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Despite Musk’s wary stance on Ukraine’s unrestricted use of Starlink, Zelensky still hopes the billionaire will change his mind.
“So far, he has said that this constitutes an escalation,” Zelensky told reporters on Aug. 22. “However, he may change his mind once he sees further arguments.”