Tesla and SpaceX CEOs have insisted that despite differences with Kyiv, they will not cut access to Ukrainian internet services.
High-tech billionaire Elon Musk and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have exchanged Barb with Polish Foreign Minister Radslow Sikorsky for the use of Ukrainian Musk’s Starlink Internet Services.
During a tense exchange at X on Sunday, Sikorsky suggested that Poland, which pays Ukrainian Starlink costs to fight off Russian invasions, might need to look for alternative suppliers if mask satellite networks turn out to be “untrusted providers.”
Sikorsky commented after Musk, one of President Donald Trump’s most influential allies, commented without a star link that “the entire frontline will collapse” of Ukrainian forces.
“I literally challenged Putin to one physical battle over Ukraine. My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Musk will collapse in response to X-users who accused him of not treating Russia as an invader and simply criticizing Ukraine,” he said.
“What I’m tired of is the year of a deadly massacre that Ukraine inevitably loses.”
Ukrainian Starlink is paid by Poland’s Ministry of Digitalization for a cost of around $50 million a year.
If SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider, the ethics of threatening victims of attacks force you to look for other suppliers. https://t.co/wajwcklgpe– Radslaw Sikorski (@sikorskiradek) March 9, 2025
Rubio came to the defense of the mask following Sikorsky’s post, accusing Polish politicians of “making things up.”
“No one is threatening to cut off Ukraine from Starlink,” Rubio said.
“And say thank you because without Starlink, the Russians would have crossed the border with Poland now, as Ukraine would have lost this war.”
Musk later denounced Sikorsky himself, saying, “Silently, be a little man. You’ll pay a small portion of the cost. And there’s no substitute for Starlink.”
Last month, Reuters reported that, citing three unnamed sources, it increased the likelihood that US negotiators would cut access to Ukraine’s Starlink service, pushing Kiev to access the country’s important minerals.
On Sunday, Musk, who leads Trump’s government efficiency bureau, insisted that he would not block access to Ukraine’s Starlink despite an explosion with top Polish diplomats.
“To be very clear, no matter how much I disagree with Ukrainian policies, Starlink will not turn off the terminal,” Musk says.
“I say that without Starlink, the Ukrainian line will collapse as Russians can interfere with all other communications! We will not do that or use it as a tip for negotiations.”
Poland funded about half of the estimated 42,000 Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine.
The terminal has provided critical internet connections to Ukraine’s military and critical services after Russia destroyed the country’s communications network during a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Trump ordered a moratorium on all military aid to Ukraine last week, and on Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the US had also stopped sharing intelligence news with Ukraine.
US officials have proposed that if a diplomatic breakthrough between Trump and Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky leads to war, the suspension of military aid and information sharing could be lifted.
Trump said on Sunday that the US has ended its halt to share intelligence news, “just” and hopes for good results from future talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.
US officials are scheduled to meet with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah on Tuesday. The Trump administration is doing vi to secure a ceasefire and a “framework.”
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