A Ukrainian diplomat said Starlink satellite services are “instrumental” in fighting the Russian invasion and she is confident a dispute over payment for the system can be settled.
Starlink internet kiosks are produced by US billionaire Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, and have been the subject of a back-and-forth between Musk and the Pentagon in recent weeks.
Ambassador Oksana Markarova described Ukraine’s relationship with Musk’s company as “excellent cooperation” in an interview with CBS on Sunday. She stressed the importance of the terminals in facilitating humanitarian support to the most affected regions of Ukraine, adding that the country will need this support “for a longer period”.
“It’s very important to keep having (Starlink) and I’m confident we’ll find a solution there,” Markavova said.
If you haven’t followed this: Starlink has been a vital communication source for the Ukrainian military. The company’s internet kiosks kept troops connected even as cellphone and internet networks were destroyed during the war with Russia.
SpaceX has warned the Pentagon that it may stop funding service in Ukraine unless the US military injects tens of millions of dollars a month. The company also asked the Pentagon to take over funding for the Ukrainian government and military use of Starlink, which SpaceX said would cost more than $120 million for the rest of the year and could cost nearly $400. million dollars for the next 12 months.
But on Saturday, Musk appeared to backtrack on Twitter, though it was unclear whether the issue was actually resolved.
“Damn it…even if Starlink continues to lose money and other companies receive billions of taxpayer dollars, we will continue to fund the Ukrainian government for free,” read a tweet from Musk’s verified account.
Complicating Musk’s dealings with officials in the country, the billionaire has come under heavy criticism in Ukraine for publicly launching a peace plan that would see Kyiv abandon Crimea and accept neutrality status. Some Ukrainian officials have since extended an olive branch.
