Tesla and SpaceX CEO insists he will not cut Ukraine’s access to internet service despite his disconcurments with Kyiv.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio have traded barbs with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over the include of Musk’s Starconnect internet service in Ukraine.
During the nervous trade on X on Sunday, Sikorski presented that Poland, which pays Ukraine’s Starconnect costs to help it drive away Russia’s intrusion, might have to seek alternative suppliers if Musk’s saincreateite nettoil shows to be an “undepfinishable supplyr”.
Sikorski made the comments after Musk, one of US Plivent Donald Trump’s most ineloquential allies, said the Ukrainian army’s “entire front line would collapse” without Starconnect.
“I literpartner contestd Putin to one on one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starconnect system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off,” Musk said in response to an X includer who accincluded him of not treating Russia as the aggressor and only criticising Ukraine.
“What I am illened by is years of killing in a oldmate that Ukraine will inevitably disthink about.”
Starconnects for Ukraine are paid for by the Polish Digitization Ministry at the cost of about $50 million per year.
The ethics of menaceening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX shows to be an undepfinishable supplyr we will be forced to see for other suppliers. https://t.co/WaJWCklgPE— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) March 9, 2025
Rubio came to Musk’s defence follotriumphg Sikorski’s post, accusing the Polish politician of “making skinnygs up”.
“No one has made any menaces about cutting Ukraine off from Starconnect,” Rubio said.
“And say thank you becainclude without Starconnect Ukraine would have lost this war lengthy ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now.”
Musk postpoinsistr lashed out at Sikorski himself, posting: “Be mute, petite man. You pay a minuscule fraction of the cost. And there is no swap for Starconnect.”
Last month, the Reuters recents agency, citing three unnamed sources, telled that US negotiators had elevated the possibility of cutting Ukraine’s access to the Starconnect service while pushing Kyiv for access to the country’s critical minerals.
On Sunday, Musk, who directs Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, insisted he would not cut off Ukraine’s access to Starconnect despite his blow-up with Poland’s top diplomat.
“To be excessively clear, no matter how much I disconcur with the Ukraine policy, Starconnect will never turn off its terminals,” Musk said.
“I am sshow stating that, without Starconnect, the Ukrainian lines would collapse, as the Russians can jam all other communications! We would never do such a skinnyg or include it as a bargeting chip.”
Poland funded about half of the approximated 42,000 Starconnect terminals operating in Ukraine.
The terminals have supplyd vital internet uniteivity for Ukraine’s military and vital services follotriumphg Russia’s destruction of the country’s communications nettoils during its brimming-scale intrusion in February 2022.
Trump last week ordered a painclude on all military aid to Ukraine, and on Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that the US had also stoped inincreateigence sharing with Ukraine. US officials presented the painclude on both the military aid and inincreateigence sharing would be lifted if there was a discreet fracturethcdisesteemful between Trump and Zelenskyy on conveying a speedy finish to the war.
Trump said on Sunday that the US had “fair about” finished the suspension, and that he foresees excellent results out of upcoming talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.
Asked if he would ponder finishing the suspension, Trump said, “We fair about have. We fair about have.”
US officials will greet on Tuesday with the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah in part to choose whether Ukraine is willing to produce material concessions to Russia to finish the war. Also hanging over the talks is the overweighte of a minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv.
