(Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he’ll never pull the plug on Ukraine’s Starlink access, even as he urges the country to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
"To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals," Musk tweeted on Sunday. "We would never do such a thing or use it as a bargaining chip."
However, that post came a day after Musk tweeted: "My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off."
Musk wrote that after someone questioned why the SpaceX CEO seemed “focused on only criticizing Ukraine but not Putin for some reason." Musk responded: "I literally challenged Putin to one-on-one physical combat over Ukraine.” (Challenging people to fights that never happen is a trend with Musk.)
“What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose,” Musk added. “Anyone who really cares, really thinks, and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop.”
The tweets will likely do little to calm worries from European governments who are supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia. On Sunday, Musk also insulted a Polish minister who said his country is spending $50 million per year to help fund Starlink access in Ukraine.
“If SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider, we will be forced to look for other suppliers,” Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rados?aw Sikorski, posted on X/Twitter.
“Be quiet, small man,” Musk said in response. “You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio then tweeted to Sikorski: “No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink. And say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now."
The exchanges appear to have prompted Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to respond. Although his tweet was directed at no one in particular, he wrote: “True leadership means respect for partners and allies. Even for the smaller and weaker ones. Never arrogance. Dear friends, think about it.”
Following a tense Oval Office meeting with Ukraine President Zelensky, the Trump administration has withdrawn military aid and stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine. Musk, a major Trump ally, was named head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) shortly after the inauguration.
As such, EU leaders have been looking for an alternative to Starlink—in Ukraine and Europe. Satellite communications provider Eutelsat OneWeb is trying to become an adequate replacement for Starlink in Ukraine. But it only has about 600 satellites in orbit compared with Starlink’s 7,000, raising doubts it can supply enough capacity or high-speed connectivity to Ukraine, which may be using as many as 170,000 Starlink dishes, according to one estimate.
The European Union is also working to create its own satellite internet system called IRIS². But it won't become available until the early 2030s.