Elon Musk commits to keeping Starlink active for Ukraine
Elon Musk, the owner of Starlink, announced on platform X that despite disagreements with Ukraine's policies, Starlink terminals in the country would not be shut down. This statement followed a heated exchange between Musk and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
Musk assured that Starlink would remain operational for Ukraine, which is defending itself against a Russian invasion. He clarified a previous comment, where he mentioned that the Ukrainian front would "collapse" without the network.
"To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals. 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," wrote Musk, who also serves as an advisor to the US president.
Exchange of words between Elon Musk and Radosław Sikorski
Musk's earlier post prompted a reaction from Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who interpreted it as a threat to disconnect Ukraine from a network that Poland co-finances.
"Starlinks for Ukraine are paid for by the Polish Digitization Ministry at the cost of 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," wrote Sikorski.
In response, the head of SpaceX referred to the minister as a "small man." "Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink," wrote Musk.
The businessman, originally from South Africa, has previously criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a similar manner, calling him a dictator and accusing him of crimes. Musk recently suggested that 'as distasteful as it is,' Zelensky should be granted amnesty and shelter in a safe country.
On Sunday, Musk once again expressed his view that the United States should withdraw from NATO. It "doesn't make sense for America to pay for the defense of Europe," he stated.
To recap, Starlink is SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has quickly grown into a major business over the past five years. According to Payload, Starlink's estimated revenue for 2024 was over 8 billion dollars, marking a 95 percent increase from the previous year. The number of users doubled, reaching 4.6 million.
