Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk insists he will not cut Ukraine’s access to internet service despite his disagreements with Kyiv.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have clashed with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski over the use of Musk’s Starlink internet service in Ukraine.
During a heated exchange on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Sikorski suggested that Poland, which covers Ukraine’s Starlink costs to aid in repelling Russia’s invasion, might need to seek alternative providers if Musk’s satellite network proves to be an “unreliable provider.”
Sikorski’s comments came after Musk, a prominent ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, claimed that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse” without Starlink.
“I literally challenged Putin to one-on-one physical combat over Ukraine, and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off,” Musk stated in response to an X user who accused him of not treating Russia as the aggressor and solely criticizing Ukraine.
“What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose.”
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. https://t.co/WaJWCklgPE— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) March 9, 2025
Rubio defended Musk following Sikorski’s post, accusing the Polish politician of “making things up.”
“No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink,” Rubio said. “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.”
Musk later lashed out at Sikorski directly, posting: “Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.”
Last month, Reuters reported, citing three unnamed sources, that U.S. negotiators had floated the idea of cutting Ukraine’s access to Starlink while pushing Kyiv for access to the country’s critical minerals.
On Sunday, Musk, who heads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, reaffirmed he would not cut off Ukraine’s access to Starlink despite his dispute with Poland’s top diplomat.
“To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with Ukraine’s policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals,” Musk said. “I am simply stating that, 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.”
Poland has funded approximately half of the estimated 42,000 Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine.
These terminals have provided crucial internet connectivity for Ukraine’s military and essential services after Russia destroyed the country’s communication networks during its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Last week, Trump ordered a pause on all military aid to Ukraine. On Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that the U.S. had also halted intelligence sharing with Ukraine. U.S. officials suggested that the pause on both military aid and intelligence sharing would be lifted if a diplomatic breakthrough occurred between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to swiftly end the war.
On Sunday, Trump stated that the U.S. had “just about” ended the suspension and expressed optimism about upcoming talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia.
When asked whether he would consider ending the suspension, Trump said, “We just about have. We just about have.”
U.S. officials will meet with the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah on Tuesday to determine whether Ukraine is willing to make material concessions to Russia to end the war. The fate of a minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv also looms over the discussions.
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