A day after claiming that his rocket business SpaceX could no longer afford to support its Starlink internet service in Ukraine, Elon Musk announced on Saturday that it would.
“The hell with it … even though starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding ukraine govt for free,” Musk tweeted.
It wasn’t immediately obvious if Musk was being sincere or sarcastic when he made his offer. A request for comment from SpaceX did not receive a prompt response.
Musk has asked the Defense Department to take over funding for his satellite network, which has supplied vital battlefield communications for Ukrainian military troops during the conflict with Russia, according to a U.S. official.
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The official added that senior authorities are considering the problem after it was raised in meetings and that he spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private matter. There haven’t been any choices made.
CNN was the first to report on this matter.
Musk stated on Friday that SpaceX will not be able to support Starlink in Ukraine forever. The programme has aided military personnel and civilians in staying online during the conflict with Russia.
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He said this in response to a media story that SpaceX had requested payment from the Pentagon for Starlink’s donations. The billionaire and Ukrainian authorities have engaged in online arguments over a proposed peace plan that Ukraine claims is overly lenient toward Russia.
More than 150,000 Ukrainian ground stations now have access to high-speed internet thanks to Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation of more than 2,200 low-orbiting satellites. Early on Friday, Musk tweeted that Ukraine’s communication demands were costing SpaceX $20 million per month.
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He stated that in addition to the terminals, the corporation also needs to build, deploy, operate, and resupply satellites and ground stations.
Musk argued this week on Twitter that in order to achieve peace, Russia should be permitted to maintain the Crimea Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. He added that Ukraine should renounce its quest to join NATO and adopt a neutral stance.
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Musk also launched a Twitter poll asking if “the will of the people” ought to determine whether seized regions stay in Ukraine or join Russia.
Zelensky replied ironically by asking on Twitter, “Which Elon Musk do you prefer more? One who supports Ukraine” or “One who supports Russia”
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“I still very much support Ukraine,” Musk responded to Zelensky, “but am convinced that massive escalation of the war will cause great harm to Ukraine and possibly the world.”
The departing Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, replied to Musk’s initial tweet with an expletive.
