Bipartisan House group urges Trump to grant Ukraine Starlink access in Russia

A bipartisan group of nearly two-dozen House members is urging President Trump to ask Elon Musk to give Ukraine access to Starlink systems inside Russia to hit missile launchers, according to a letter sent Wednesday and obtained exclusively by The Hill. The signatories included seven House Republicans alongside 16 Democrats, widening the GOP coalition looking to bring Trump back to the side of Ukraine as he has swung hard in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The letter argues that with one phone call, Trump could save lives and give Putin greater incentives to negotiate, stating that if Ukraine cannot intercept Russian missiles, it must be able to target the launchers. Republican signatories include Reps. Joe Wilson, Brian Fitzpatrick, Don Bacon, Max Miller, Carlos Gimenez, Jeff Hurd, and Andy Harris, with the letter bolstering a Senate lobbying campaign led by Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker. The letter comes as a growing number of Republicans have expressed outrage over disruptions to Starlink and its military-grade version, Starshield, that hampered Ukrainian air defense missions, with some calling for an investigation into the throttling. Fitzpatrick and Bacon have threatened to disrupt Trump's agenda after the midterms if he does not change course on Russia and Ukraine, including providing Ukraine defensive equipment and raising sanctions.