US negotiators who are pressuring Kiev for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country’s access to the vital Satellite system via Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet, three sources familiar with the subject to Reuters told the subject.
The continuous access of the European country to Spacex’s property was raised in discussions between US and Ukrainian authorities after President Volodymyr Zelensky declined an initial proposal from United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reported the sources.
Starlink provides crucial internet connectivity to Ukraine, devastated by war.
The issue was raised again on Thursday (20), reported one of the sources, which was informed about the negotiations.
During the meeting, Ukraine was informed that it would face the impending dismissal of the service if it did not reach an agreement on critical minerals, according to the source, which requested anonymity to discuss closed negotiations.
“Ukraine operates with Starlink. They consider it her northern star, ”said the source. “Losing Starlink … It would be a huge blow.”
After Reuters published the story, Musk posted in X that the article was “false” and “Reuters is lying.” Contacted by the news agency for details, Elon Musk did not respond immediately.
This is false.
Reuters is lying. They are second only to AP (Associated Propaganda) as legacy news liars.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
A Reuters spokesman said the news agency maintains its report.
From Ukraine to pay Washington for a help in war time, claiming that the US has not offered specific security guarantees.
On Friday (21), the Ukrainian President commented that the US and Ukrainian teams were working on an agreement. Donald Trump said he expects an agreement to be signed soon.
Elon Musk took thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine to replace communication services destroyed by Russia after its invasion in February 2022.
Acclaimed at the time as a hero in the European country, Musk has already restricted access at least once, in the fall of 2022, when he became more critical of the way Kiev dealt with the war.
The vice-prime minister of Poland announced on Saturday (22) that his country was paying for Ukraine’s Starlink signature and will continue to pay.
American legislators are divided into Trump’s efforts to find a quick end to war and some have raised questions about and
Melinda Haring, a senior member of Atlantic Council, said Starlink was essential for Ukraine drones operation, a key pillar of its military strategy.
“Losing Starlink would be a game turn,” Haring said, noting that the European country was now similar to Russia in terms of use of drones and artillery projectiles.
The Ukrainian government, from sea and surveillance to long -range unmanned air vehicles.
The country’s embassy in Washington, the White House and the US Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
Spacex, which operates Starlink, has not responded to a comment request either.
Russian and Americans negotiators planned a second meeting in the next two weeks to discuss the end of the conflict, Russian state news agency laughed on Saturday.
(18).
Attempts at agreement between US and Ukraine
Last fall, Ukraine presented the idea of exchanging its critical minerals for allied investments. This was part of a “victory plan” that sought to put it in the strongest position for negotiations and force Moscow to sit at the table.
Trump embraced the idea, saying that to his war effort.
Last week aimed at Washington and US companies receiving 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals, including graffiti, uranium, titanium and lithium, a key component in electric car batteries.
Since then, a feud has emerged among leaders, with the Republican denouncing Volodymyr Zelensky as “” on Wednesday after the Ukrainian President exclaimed that a response to the US president suggesting that Ukraine began war.
