Polish President’s office denies risk of Starlink shutdown in Ukraine
Photo: Poland will not disconnect Starlink terminals operating under its auspices in Ukraine (Getty Images)
Head of the Polish Presidential Chancellery Zbigniew Bogucki does not foresee the shutdown of Starlink internet in Ukraine, which is financed by the Polish side, according to Bogucki’s post on X.
Bogucki denied the statement by the country’s Minister of Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, about the risk of Starlink terminals being disconnected due to the recent veto by Polish President Karol Nawrocki on the law on assistance to Ukrainian refugees.
The Head of the Polish Presidential Chancellery noted that the mentioned veto cannot cut Ukraine off from Starlink internet, since the costs of this connection are financed under the provisions of current legislation, and “the bill submitted to the Sejm by the President of the Republic of Poland supports this state of affairs.”
According to current Polish legislation, support for providing Starlink connectivity for Ukraine is granted until September 30, 2025.
According to Bogucki, parliament will “effectively” process the presidential initiative in September, before the final deadline expires.
President Nawrocki’s office also refuted Gawkowski’s claim about the alleged “end of support for storing data of the Ukrainian administration in a secure location.”
The Head of the Polish Presidential Chancellery also accused the Minister of Digital Affairs of manipulation and disinformation.
“Paraphrasing your post, one could say: I cannot imagine a better gift for Putin than engaging in Russian disinformation to sow discord between Poles and Ukrainians,” Bogucki said indignantly.
Background
On Monday, August 25, Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a law on social assistance for unemployed Ukrainian refugees.
According to Nawrocki, only Ukrainians officially employed in Poland can count on social benefits under the 800 Plus program.
Minister of Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, criticized the President’s decision and claimed that its consequence would be the disconnection of Starlink services provided by Poland to Ukraine and cloud data storage services.
As previously reported, Ukraine will become the first country in Europe to introduce Starlink mobile communication services.
