EU considers paying Elon Musk to keep giving Starlink internet to Ukraine

LUXEMBOURG — EU countries are discussing whether to lend backing to guarantee Ukrainians support their entree to captious Starlink net services presently paid for by Tesla brag Elon Musk.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis disclosed the plans, which are astatine an aboriginal stage, successful an interrogation with POLITICO connected Monday. 

The connection follows warnings from Musk that his SpaceX rocket institution could not indefinitely proceed paying for Ukrainians to person entree to Starlink net services, amid suggestions that helium wanted the U.S. authorities to ft the bill. Musk, the world’s richest man, aboriginal changed his mind and said helium would transportation connected backing the service. 

But the scare raised concerns astir the information of Ukraine’s continued entree to a important telecommunications strategy that has played a captious relation successful their counteroffensives against Russian troops successful occupied territories, arsenic good arsenic keeping the civilian colonisation connected. 

Speaking to POLITICO, Landsbergis suggested Ukraine's net entree should not beryllium near successful the hands of a azygous "super-powerful" idiosyncratic who could "wake up 1 time and say, ‘This is nary longer what I consciousness similar doing and this is it.’ And the adjacent day, Ukrainians mightiness find themselves without the internet.” 

He continued: “I figured that it's astir apt mode amended to person this arsenic a contractual statement between, let's say, a conjugation of countries that could acquisition a work from Mr. Musk, the Starlink service, and supply it to the Ukrainians and support connected providing it to Ukrainians.”

The taxable made it into the treatment astatine the gathering of the 27 EU overseas ministers Monday, according to Landsbergis. EU overseas argumentation main Josep Borrell raised the subject, “and definite countries besides joined in,” the curate said, without specifying which countries. “If it happens successful EU, it's adjacent better,” helium said. “I don't spot wherefore it couldn't.”