Polish Foreign Ministry lists three 'pluses' from US-Poland Starlink dispute
Photo: Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński (gov pl)
The dispute between Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and businessman Elon Musk over Ukraine's use of Starlink terminals has positive aspects for Ukraine, the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reports, citing Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński.
According to the Polish Foreign Minister, the most important outcome for Ukraine is Rubio's strong statement that there are no plans to disconnect Starlink terminals for Ukraine. Musk later confirmed this as well.
"There will no longer be such forms of pressure and influence on Ukraine that, they say, 'we'll disconnect you now,' or 'if we were to disconnect you, it would be this or that,' which could be perceived as more or less hidden threats, and that is exactly how Minister Sikorski perceived it," Wroński stated.
Secondly, Rubio acknowledged in his post that Russia's goal from the start was the complete occupation of Ukraine and that this war was not accidental. Sikorski agreed with Rubio that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was an act of aggression and that Ukraine’s defeat would also be a shared failure for the US and its allies.
"We must act together for a just peace. That’s the second positive aspect of this exchange," Wroński emphasized.
The third "benefit", according to Wroński, is that the American public has now learned that not only the US financially supports Ukraine but also that SpaceX "is not a charity."
"This company profits from the war in Ukraine because the operation of these terminals is paid for by the Polish government using Polish taxpayers' money," the Polish diplomat stressed.
Sikorski-Rubio-Musk dispute
On March 9, Elon Musk claimed that Starlink is crucial to the Ukrainian army and that without it, the front line would collapse. He also called for an immediate peace settlement.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski soon responded to this statement, emphasizing that Poland finances Starlink for Ukraine and warned that if Musk followed through on his statements, Poland would seek alternative providers.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio then sharply responded to Sikorski, dismissing claims that Ukraine was at risk of being cut off from Starlink.
"This is nonsense. No one threatened to disconnect Ukraine from Starlink. And be thankful, because without Starlink, Ukraine would have lost this war long ago, and the Russians would now be on Poland's border," Rubio wrote on social media.
Musk later clarified that he would never disconnect Starlink terminals for Ukraine, regardless of disagreements with Ukrainian policies.
American businessman stated that Starlink is essential because Russian forces can jam all other communications.
