American negotiators involved in shaping a potential agreement between the United States and Ukraine on access to critical minerals are admitting the possibility of our country’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system being cut off.
American negotiators involved in shaping a potential agreement between the United States and Ukraine on access to critical minerals are admitting the possibility of our country’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system being cut off.
This was reported by Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
Sources said that the issue of Ukraine’s continued access to SpaceX’s Starlink was raised during discussions between U.S. and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected an initial proposal from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant.
In addition, this issue was reportedly raised again on Thursday during a meeting between US Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg and Zelensky.
During the meeting, Ukraine was informed that it faces imminent termination of Starlink access service if it does not reach an agreement on minerals.
Melinda Haring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Starlink is essential to the operation of drones in Ukraine, a key pillar of our military strategy. «Losing Starlink would be a game changer,» Haring said, implying that the changes would not be to our advantage.
As dev.ua reported, at the end of last year, Kyivstar signed an agreement with Starlink to implement Direct to Cell satellite communication. Thus, Ukraine may become one of the first countries where this technology will appear.
In December 2024, it was also reported that SpaceX had received a contract with the Pentagon, which would allow Ukraine to significantly expand its access to a more secure and militarized version of the Starlink satellite network called Starshield.
