The head of the SpaceX company Elon Musk stated that the Starlink satellite network will operate in Ukraine, even if the U.S. Defense Ministry does not agree to finance the operation of the network.
He wrote about this on Twitter, commenting on the news that the European Union can provide funds to pay for Starlink in Ukraine.
Musk wrote that he informed the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov about this decision. This happened, according to him, even before public discussions about financing.
Fedorov thanked Mask in response.
- On October 14, it became known that the SpaceX company warned the Pentagon that it could stop funding Starlink in Ukraine, unless the American military allocates tens of millions of dollars a month. The Office of the President of Ukraine replied that Ukraine would find a way to maintain Starlink.
- Later, Elon Musk changed his mind and declared that he would continue to finance Starlink services in Ukraine, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis offered the allied countries to pay Ukraineʼs bills for Starlink together, if Elon Muskʼs company SpaceX could no longer do it.
- On October 18, it became known that the Pentagon is discussing the possibility of paying for Starlink Internet for Ukraine. At the same time, Musk informed that SpaceX had withdrawn its request for payment by the Pentagon for Starlink.
- On October 21, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov informed that Ukraine has already found three sources of funding for Starlink for its military.