Tensions intensified between Tesla and the CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk and the Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski, on the use of Starlink Internet services in Ukraine, in the middle of the current conflict with Russia.
Musk, who faced criticism for his frank opinions on Ukraine and Russia, defended the essential role of Starlink in the maintenance of military communications from Ukraine. He said that without Starlink, “the whole front line of Ukraine would collapse”.
Musk argued that the Russian army could block other communication networks, making Starlink Vital for the survival of Ukraine.
The confrontation began when Sikorski suggested that Poland, which has paid Starlink’s services to Ukraine, may need to find alternative suppliers if Musk’s satellite service is unreliable.
Sikorski’s comments came after the Musk’s statement that he was “skillful” by the war and the prolonged dead end, where he expressed his frustration as for the lack of resolution.
Starlinks for Ukraine are paid by the Ministry of Polish digitization at the cost of around $ 50 million per year.
The ethics to threaten the victim of assault separately, if SpaceX turns out to be an unreliable supplier, we will be forced to search for other suppliers. https://t.co/wajwcklgpe– Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) March 9, 2025
Senator Marco Rubio quickly came to the defense of Musk, accusing Sikorski of “inventing things” and claiming that without Starlink, Ukraine has already lost the war. Rubio also praised Musk to keep Starlink operational in Ukraine, suggesting that it was the only thing that prevented a Russian lead towards Poland.
Just invent things.
No one threatened to cut Starlink’s UkraineAnd to say thank you because
Without Starlink, Ukraine would have lost this war a long time ago and the Russians would be on the border with Poland at the moment https://t.co/imeihfgaaw– Marco Rubio (@Marcorubio) March 9, 2025
Musk responded directly to Sikorski, saying to him to “be silent and a little man”, adding that the contribution of Poland to the costs was minimal compared to the other nations, including the United States.
Musk reiterated that despite disagreements with Ukraine policies, he would make sure that Starlink would never be disabled in Ukraine.
In an article on social networks, Musk said: “It doesn’t matter how much I agree with Ukraine policy, Starlink will never deactivate his terminals.” He stressed that the service would remain operational and would not be used as a leverage in diplomatic negotiations.
Poland financed around half of the 42,000 Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine, which provided essential internet connectivity for military and civil purposes, in particular after the invasion of Russia in February 2022, destroyed a large part of the communication infrastructure of Ukraine.
Musk’s position came in the midst of broader geopolitical tensions, US President Donald Trump recently made a military aid break and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. However, US officials said this suspension could be lifted while waiting for successful diplomatic talks, with a next meeting in Saudi Arabia between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and American representatives.
