20 March 2025, 08:56

By David Kirichenko

Europe’s diplomatic headaches are mounting by the day. Relations between the continent and the Trump administration increasingly resemble the chaos of a Facebook comment thread – chaotic, combative, and often devoid of decorum.

For weeks, speculation swirled that the Trump administration was considering using Starlink as a bargaining chip to pressure Kyiv. Elon Musk dismissed the claims, but the rumors refused to die, eventually drawing in Polish officials and escalating into a public spat.

The controversy erupted into a heated exchange on social media over the past weeks between Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Musk himself. Sikorski warned that Poland would seek alternative providers if SpaceX proved unreliable, prompting a dismissive response from Rubio, who demanded that he "say thank you" for Starlink.

Musk escalated the confrontation, mocking Sikorski as a “small man” and insisting there was no substitute for his satellite network.

This isn’t the first time Musk’s control over Starlink has raised alarms. He previously admitted to refusing to activate Starlink over occupied-Crimea to block a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Black Sea fleet, claiming he wanted to avoid complicity in what he called a “major act of war.”

Concerns over Musk’s erratic influence have led Ukraine to seek backup options. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that Kyiv is already exploring backup satellite communication systems, though details remain undisclosed.

Meanwhile, Italy is already reconsidering a €1.5 billion deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink for military and government use, citing shifting U.S. commitments........

© LBC