American negotiators, who are pressuring Kyiv to sign a minerals agreement, have threatened to disconnect Ukraine from the Starlink satellite communications system.
Reuters reports this, citing sources.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has been using Starlink for critical communications at the front, critical infrastructure facilities, and to meet the needs of the civilian population.
Reuters writes that the issue of Ukraineʼs continued access to Starlink was raised after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected an initial proposal for a minerals deal. The topic was also discussed during a meeting between US Special Representative Keith Kellogg and Zelensky.
During the meeting, Ukraine was told it faces “inevitable disconnection from Starlink” if the minerals deal is not finalized, a serious blow, Reuters reports.
Melinda Haring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, notes that Starlink helps Ukraine launch drones, a key element of its military strategy. Losing the satellites would be a game-changer, because now, using them, Ukraine has 1:1 parity with Russia in the use of drones and artillery shells.
What a deal
The US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent brought a pilot draft of a minerals agreement to Ukraine on February 12. Washington had hoped that Kyiv would sign it immediately. President Zelensky said that he had banned the agreement from being signed because it was not ready to protect Ukraine’s interests — it had no connection to investments, profits, or security guarantees.
Previously, Trump stated that Ukraine had "essentially agreed" to transfer $500 billion in rare earth metals to Washington as payment for American military aid.
Later, Zelensky explained that Ukraine was ready to sign the agreement on rare earth metals, but Kyiv needed security guarantees, which were not there. Zelensky added: “The document was clear in only one thing — we must give 50% of everything that is listed there.”
Whatʼs going on between Trump and Zelensky?
After the American and Russian delegations held their first talks in Saudi Arabia without the participation of Ukrainians and Europeans, the US President Donald Trump claimed that Zelensky had only a 4% approval rating. The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published a study showing that as of the first half of February 2025, 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky.
The President of Ukraine reacted and said that Trump is in a "circle of disinformation".
Trump then called Zelensky an “unelected dictator” who allegedly persuaded the United States to “spend $350 billion on a war that cannot be won and should never have been started”. Trump said that “Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is ruined” and that he has little time left.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.