Photo: Steve Wallis via YouTube
Watching Elon Musk behaving like a four-year-old child, it’s hard to consider that he’s well past his fifties. His back-and-forth statements about Starlink’s service to the Ukrainian government have made him look untrustworthy, which is why the Pentagon and EU countries are considering paying him to keep Starlink alive on the Ukrainian frontlines.
Elon Musk caused quite a stir last week when he proposed a solution for the Russia-Ukraine war. The backlash that followed got him a not-so-diplomatic reply from Andrij Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany. It wasn’t long before Musk threw a tantrum and announced that SpaceX could no longer afford to fund the Starlink services for the Ukrainian military. The connection between the two events was confirmed by Musk, who said, “We’re just following his recommendation.”
Days later, Musk backtracked and said he’ll continue to “keep funding Ukraine’s govt for free.” But the damage was already done, and Russian propaganda was already using his words extensively. On Monday, Pentagon officials confirmed for Politico that the U.S. would pay for the Starlink services from a fund used to supply weapons and equipment over the long term to Ukraine.
It’s not just the Pentagon that talks about paying SpaceX to keep Starlink services alive in Ukraine. During the Monday meeting of the 27 EU foreign ministers, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell raised the subject, and other foreign ministers joined in. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed the information in an interview with Politico.
Landsbergis suggested that Ukraine’s internet access should not be left in the hands of a single “super-powerful” person who could “wake up one day and say, ‘This is no longer what I feel like doing and this is it.’ And the next day, Ukrainians might find themselves without the internet.”
Having a contract between a coalition of countries and the provider of Starlink internet services, be it SpaceX or Elon Musk, is certainly much better than relying on goodwill. Elon Musk also hinted at the possibility of allowing people to donate to have Starlink services offered to places in need.
Days later, Musk backtracked and said he’ll continue to “keep funding Ukraine’s govt for free.” But the damage was already done, and Russian propaganda was already using his words extensively. On Monday, Pentagon officials confirmed for Politico that the U.S. would pay for the Starlink services from a fund used to supply weapons and equipment over the long term to Ukraine.
It’s not just the Pentagon that talks about paying SpaceX to keep Starlink services alive in Ukraine. During the Monday meeting of the 27 EU foreign ministers, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell raised the subject, and other foreign ministers joined in. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed the information in an interview with Politico.
Landsbergis suggested that Ukraine’s internet access should not be left in the hands of a single “super-powerful” person who could “wake up one day and say, ‘This is no longer what I feel like doing and this is it.’ And the next day, Ukrainians might find themselves without the internet.”
Having a contract between a coalition of countries and the provider of Starlink internet services, be it SpaceX or Elon Musk, is certainly much better than relying on goodwill. Elon Musk also hinted at the possibility of allowing people to donate to have Starlink services offered to places in need.
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