Despite his problems with Kyiv, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla maintains that he will not turn off Ukraine’s internet connectivity.
Regarding the use of Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service in Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has retaliated against US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and tech mogul Elon Musk.
Sikorski said during Sunday’s heated discussions on X that if Musk’s satellites network turns out to be a “unreliable provider”, Poland, which pays Ukraine’s Starlink charges to help it fend off Russia’s incursion, may need to look for other suppliers.
After Musk, one of US President Donald Trump’s most powerful backers, claimed that the Ukrainian army’s “entire front line would collapse” in the absence of Starlink, Sikorski made the remarks.
“My Starlink system is the foundation of the Ukrainian army, and I literally challenged Putin to a one-on-one physical battle over Ukraine”. Musk responded to an X user who accused him of just criticizing Ukraine and failing to regard Russia as the aggressor by saying, “If I turned it off, their entire front line would collapse”.
“Years of slaughter in a standoff that Ukraine will unavoidably lose is what sickens me”.
After Sikorski’s article, Rubio defended Musk, accusing the Polish politician of “making things up”.
Rubio stated, “No one has threatened to cut Ukraine off from Starlink”.
“And express gratitude because without Starlink, Ukraine would have lost this conflict long ago, and Russian forces would currently be on the Polish border”.
Later on, Musk took aim at Sikorski directly, writing on social media: “Be quiet, small man”. Only a little portion of the price is paid by you. Also, Starlink cannot be replaced.
According to three unidentified sources cited by the Reuters news agency last month, US negotiators had suggested that Ukraine’s connection to the Starlink service would be shut off while Kyiv was being pressured for access to the vital minerals in the nation.
Despite his heated argument with Poland’s top ambassad9or, Musk, who heads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, claimed on Sunday that he would not cut off Ukraine’s access to Starlink.
Musk stated, “To be very clear, Starlink will never shut down its terminals, regardless of how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy”.
“I’m just saying that the Ukrainian lines would go down without Starlink because the Russians can jam all other communications! We would never engage in such behaviors or use it as leverage.
About half of the 42,000 Starlink terminals that are thought to be in operation in Ukraine were supported by Poland.
After Russia destroyed Ukraine’s communications networks during its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the terminals have given the military and other critical services critical internet connectivity.
In addition to Trump’s order last week to suspend all military assistance to Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe announced on Wednesday that the United States has also stopped exchanging intelligence with Ukraine.
According to US sources, if Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reach a political agreement on ending the fighting quickly, the halt on military assistance and information sharing may be removed.
Trump stated on Sunday that he anticipates positive outcomes from forthcoming negotiations with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia and that the US had “just about” lifted the ban on intelligence cooperation.
As the Trump administration works to negotiate a ceasefire and a “framework” for a peace deal, US officials will meet with the Ukrainian team in Jeddah on Tuesday.
