In fresh days Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, has become a central figure in controversy surrounding his company's commitment to aid Ukraine. Starlink, a network of satellite communications that plays a key function in Ukrainian military operations, became the subject of discussions between Musk and MFA head Radosław Sikorski.
In his entry on the X platform, Musk assured that Starlink would stay active and would not be excluded, regardless of his disagreement with Ukraine's policy. Musk besides stressed that he never threatened to cut Kiev off from the satellite network, and his earlier words were misinterpreted incorrectly.
According to the Ministry of Digital Affairs data, Poland co-finances Starlink's maintenance costs for Ukraine of around $50 million per year. This support is crucial for Ukrainian armed forces, which depend on Starlink to keep communications during military operations.
Musk explained his earlier statement, in which he stated that the Ukrainian front would have “broken down” if he had shut down the Starlink network. "To be clear, I simply stated that without Starlink, Ukrainian lines would break down due to the fact that the Russians could jam all another communication lines! We would never do specified a thing or usage it as a bargaining chip," wrote Musk.
However, Sikorski reacted to this statement, treating it as a threat of disconnection of Ukraine from the Starlink network, which Poland co-finances. "Starlinks for Ukraine are paid by the Polish Ministry of Digitization at around $50 million a year. Apart from the ethical threat of the victim of aggression, if SpaceX turns out to be an incredible supplier, we will be forced to look for another suppliers," Sikorski wrote.
In response, Musk called Sikorski a “little man”. "Be quiet, small man. You only pay a tiny part of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink," wrote Musk.
This controversy is not the first in which Musk engages in disputes with politicians. He had previously attacked the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski, calling him dictator, accusing him of crimes, and late suggesting that "whatever it is disgusting" he should receive amnesty and shelter in a safe country.
According to UN data, since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Poland has already accepted over 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine, the largest number of refugees from all countries of the European Union.
At the same time, Musk advocated leaving the US with NATO. "There is no point in America paying to defend Europe," he wrote. This message has been powerfully criticized by politicians and analysts who believe that NATO is simply a key alliance for the safety of Europe and the United States.
According to Dr. Marcin Zaborowski, manager of the Center for global Relations, "Musk's statements are not only irresponsible but besides dangerous due to the fact that they can weaken the NATO alliance and complicate the complex situation in Ukraine".
It is worth noting that SpaceX and Starlink play a key function in helping Ukraine, but are besides part of the wider context of the information war in which Russia and Ukraine compete for influence in the network. According to Microsoft, Russia has already invested over $10 billion in its information war operations, which represents over 50% of full Russian war effort.
In this context, Musk and SpaceX must be aware of their work and act in accordance with the principles of ethics and safety to avoid further controversy and escalation of the conflict.
Continued here:
Controversy around Starlink and Elon Musk's function in helping Ukraine
