Musk, Polish minister and Rubio Trade Barbs about the involvement of Starlink in Ukraine Conflict | The Express Tribune

Tensions have escalated between Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski about the use of Starlink Internet Services in Ukraine, amidst the current conflict with Russia.

Musk, who has had to deal with criticism of his outspoken views on Ukraine and Russia, defended the crucial role of Starlink to keep Ukraine’s military communication intact. He claimed that without Starlink the ‘entire front line of Ukraine would collapse’.

Musk argued that the Russian army could jam other communication networks, making Starlink of vital importance for the survival of Ukraine.

The collision started when Sikorski suggested that Poland, which paid for Starlink’s services to Ukraine, may have to find alternative suppliers if the satellite service of Musk is unreliable.

Sikorski’s comments came after the statement by Musk that he was “sick” because of the long -term war and stalemate, where he expressed frustration about the lack of resolution.

Senator Marco Rubio quickly came to the defense of Musk and accused Sikorski of “Making things up” and claimed that without Starlink, Ukraine would have lost the war. Rubio also praised Musk for keeping Starlink in Ukraine operational, which suggests that this was the only thing that prevented a Russian rise to prevent Poland.

Musk responded directly to Sikorski and told him that he had to be ‘silent, little man’, and added that the contribution of Poland to the costs was minimal compared to other countries, including the US.

Musk repeated that despite disagreements with Ukraine’s policy, he would ensure that Starlink would never be eliminated in Ukraine.

In a message on social media, Musk clarified: “No matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never eliminate his terminals.” He emphasized that the service would remain operational and would not be used as a lever in diplomatic negotiations.

Poland has financed about half of the 42,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine, which have offered essential internet connectivity for both military and civil use, especially after the invasion of Russia in February 2022, much of the communication infrastructure of Ukrainine destroyed.

The position of Musk came in the midst of broader geopolitical tensions, with US President Donald Trump recently pausing military aid and intelligence with Ukraine. However, US officials have indicated that this suspension can be lifted in anticipation of successful diplomatic conversations, with a upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia between the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zenskyy and American representatives.