US billionaire Elon Musk, head of the US Government Efficiency Department and CEO of SpaceX, has denied claims that his company considered cutting Starlink access to Ukraine to influence negotiations with the new US administration.
“To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals,” Musk wrote on X. “I am simply stating that, without Starlink, the Ukrainian lines would collapse, as the Russians can jam all other communications! We would never do such a thing or use it as a bargaining chip.”
His statement follows a Reuters report claiming US negotiators allegedly suggested disconnecting Ukraine from Starlink after a Washington-Kyiv mineral deal collapsed. Musk dismissed this report as “false.”
Ukraine’s military depends on the network for frontline coordination, reconnaissance, and drone operations. Addressing concerns about its reliability, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski highlighted Warsaw’s financial commitment, noting that Poland’s Digitization Ministry covers the cost—about $50 million per year.
“The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider, we will be forced to look for other suppliers,” Sikorski wrote on X.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on speculation that Starlink access was ever at risk, directly responding to Sikorski.
“Just making things up. No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink.” he wrote on X. “And say thank you because without Starlink, Ukraine would have lost this war long ago, and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now.”
Sikorski’s remarks followed Musk’s earlier post emphasizing Starlink’s critical role in Ukraine’s war effort.
Read more:
- Musk claims Ukraine’s frontline would crumble without Starlink
- ISW: Ukraine does not use HIMARS or ATACMS in Kursk, suggesting a US intelligence void
- Maxar confirms US government blocked Ukrainian access to satellite data (UPDATED)
- Russia narrows Ukrainian bridgehead to 11 km in Kursk Oblast offensive
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