Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, appears to have hit back at U.S. officials after a heated social media exchange saw the country’s foreign minister argue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk over Starlink access in Ukraine.
Why It Matters
Starlink, which is owned and operated by Musk’s aerospace firm, SpaceX, works by using thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites to provide an internet connection to its users.
Kyiv has leaned heavily on Starlink’s internet access for battlefield communications and for controlling Ukraine’s vast drone fleets. The country’s military spy agency, as well as Russian sources, have said Russian forces are also using Starlink terminals along the front lines in Ukraine. Musk—now a trusted ally and adviser to President Donald Trump—has vehemently denied that Starlink is being sold to Moscow, although its potential usage by Russia in Ukraine is unclear.
What To Know
Tusk said in a post to X on Monday that “true leadership means respect for partners and allies,” including “the smaller and weaker ones.”
Although the Polish prime minister did not directly mention who he was referring to with the remarks, the comments came in the wake of a high-profile social media spat between Warsaw’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, Musk and Rubio.
Soldiers of the Ukraine Armys 95th Brigade walk past a Starlink satellite internet receiver, as their unit fires 105mm artillery shells from a British-made L119 howitzer at Russian positions in the Lyman direction on February 18, 2024 in an undisclosed location, Ukraine.
Scott Peterson/Getty Images
Musk described Starlink as “the backbone of the Ukrainian army” in a post on Sunday, going on to say that Kyiv’s “entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.”
Directly responding to the statement on social media, Sikorski said Warsaw funneled $50 million each year into providing Starlink access to Ukraine, and suggested Poland would look elsewhere for similar suppliers “if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider.”
European officials and senior Ukrainian figures have grown increasingly concerned that the U.S. under President Donald Trump is not the steadfast ally of the continent that Washington has been for decades. His administration has been clear that it is reshaping Washington’s relationship with Europe, and the tone of interactions from the White House has frequently caught European officials off guard.
Musk has quickly risen to prominence in the White House, very publicly at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Poland, which borders the Russian territory of Kaliningrad as well as Ukraine and staunch Moscow ally Belarus, has been one of the most strident members of NATO in upping defense spending and building up its military forces.
“The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers,” Sikorski said.
“Be quiet, small man,” Musk then responded. “You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.”
The European Commission is already investigating possible alternatives to Starlink access for Ukraine, Politico reported in early March.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also replied to Sikorski’s statement, saying “no one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink.”
“Thank you, Marco, for confirming that the brave soldiers of Ukraine can count on the vital internet service,” jointly provided by the U.S. and Poland, Sikorski said.
What People Are Saying
Tusk said in a post to X on Monday that “true leadership means respect for partners and allies. Even for the smaller and weaker ones. Never arrogance. Dear friends, think about it.”
Rubiosaid in response to Sikorski’s statement: “Just making things up. No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink
” And say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now.”
What Happens Next
The exchange appears to be confirmation that Ukrainian forces will continue to have access to Starlink, despite the pause on all U.S. military aid and a suspension on intelligence sharing with Kyiv that Trump has put in force.
Read More: Poland’s Prime Minister Aims Dig at Elon Musk, Rubio in Starlink Dispute