End for Starlink?

Ukraine can continue to use Starlink

Elon Musk reassures the Ukrainians: "I would never do that."

(Bild: AFP)

There was great concern in Ukraine and among Western allies after tech billionaire Elon Musk sent an indirect threat to Kiev in the style of Trump. In a post on his short message platform X on Sunday, the advisor to the US President said: "If I shut it down, their entire front would collapse." However, Musk has now clarified that his company would "never do anything like that".

"To be clear, no matter how much I disagree with Ukrainian politics, Starlink will never shut down its terminals. We would never do such a thing and would never use it as a bargaining chip," Musk also wrote on X a few hours later.

Dispute between Poland's foreign minister and Musk
He had previously engaged in a small verbal battle with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. The minister had sharply criticized the Tesla founder for what was perceived as a "threat against a victim of aggression" and at the same time stated that the Polish government was paying 50 million US dollars a year for the use of satellite internet by the Ukrainian army (see postings below). "If you turn out to be an unreliable partner, we will be forced to look for other providers," Sikorski said. Musk replied rather undiplomatically: "Shut up, little man."

Starlink often the only means of communication for soldiers
Starlink is a satellite network that enables access to the internet even in very remote regions of the world. After the Russian invasion in February 2022, Musk made Starlink available to Ukraine. The Ukrainian military is using it in its defense against the Russian war of aggression; it is often the only means of communication on the front line.