Rome (TDI): The Defense Minister of Italy stated on Saturday that the Italian Government’s negotiations on the potential contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink have come to a halt.
In an interview to La Repubblica, Italy’s Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto said, “Everything has come to a standstill” and that there is currently “no technical discussion” about the possible contract between Italian Government and Starlink.
Earlier, Italy’s government had hinted at the possibility of a contract with Starlink to secure an encrypted communication system for government, diplomatic, and defense officials.
The negotiations came to a halt when the technical discussions of the deal were overshadowed by Elon Musk’s controversial statements about Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Starlink currently holds more than 7000 active low-orbit satellites that provide internet and telecommunication services to its clients. It has been offering its services to Italy since 2021.
In January, the Italian government announced that it was considering signing a five-year contract with Starlink, worth €1.5 billion. The announcement came after Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, met the US President, Donald Trump, in Florida.
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However, there was a significant backlash by Italy’s opposition parties over handing “national security matters over to a foreign businessman,” who is also a close ally of the United States.
The defense minister said that technical discussions will resume “when the controversies and the times have calmed down.” He further stated, “The question is, what is most useful and safe for the nation.”
The Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Salvini, had a telephone conversation with the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, on Friday, in which he praised “the remarkable American capabilities in key areas such as satellite communications.”
Earlier this month, Elon Musk commented that the entire frontline of the Ukrainian army would have collapsed without his Starlink system.
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Elon Musk said, “I literally challenged Putin to one-on-one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.”
The comments had sparked an outrage in Italy. Leader of Italy’s Action Party, Carlo Calenda, had commented on Monday that Elon Musk is “not a reliable partner.”
Andrea Stroppa, a representative of Elon Musk to Italy, said on Saturday that it made sense for Italy and its European allies to create their own independent low-orbit telecommunication satellites infrastructure, but Starlink could be a better solution for them in the short-term.
