Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday signed a presidential decree awarding American tech billionaire Elon Musk his country's Order of Freedom.

According to Anadolu Agency, the decree, posted on the website of Ukraine's presidential office, awarded the state honor to the SpaceX CEO for his 'outstanding personal services in protecting human life and freedom, and developing relations between the peoples of Ukraine and the United States of America.' Among those who have recently been awarded the state award include European Council President Antonio Costa, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

SpaceX's Starlink services have been instrumental in assisting Kyiv's military in communications and military actions since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war over four years ago. In February, Ukraine adopted a resolution to introduce a 'white list' for Starlink terminals, allowing only verified and registered terminals to operate in Ukraine. This measure, coordinated with SpaceX, was a response to "the use of Starlink by the Russians," as noted by then-Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

Later that month, a senior Russian military official acknowledged that Starlink terminals had been disabled for the past two weeks, though this did not affect the intensity and effectiveness of its drone operations. Zelenskyy told Ukrainian media over the weekend that he asked US President Donald Trump to help obtain permission from Musk to use Starlink over Russia for defense purposes. Citing the Ukrainian president, public broadcaster Suspilne reported that Musk expressed concerns that this could be a 'major escalation.' However, Zelenskyy noted that negotiations on this issue are ongoing.