Warsaw (TDI): Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned the United States against “Arrogance” amid the Starlink spat. The remarks were made after the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, accused the Polish Foreign Minister of “making things up” and said that Ukraine would have lost the war without Starlink.
“True leadership means respect for partners and allies. Even for the smaller and weaker ones,” said Donald Tusk.
He further cautioned the US Secretary of State against arrogance, saying, “Never arrogance. Dear friends, think about it.”
The spat began after the antagonizing comments of Elon Musk, who has been known for his criticism of Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his failure to achieve peace after three years of war.
Also Read: Poland Foreign Minister strengthens ties with US
On March 9, Elon Musk commented that the entire frontline of the Ukrainian army would have collapsed without his Starlink system.
He 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.”
He further said, “What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose. Anyone who really cares, really thinks, and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop. PEACE NOW!!”
The said remarks were not appreciated by the Foreign Minister of Poland, who later warned Musk against “threatening the victim of aggression.”
He further stated that the Polish Digitization Ministry bears the annual cost of $50 million for the Starlink network for Ukraine. If “SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers,” the Foreign Minister noted.
Franco-British satellite operator Eutelsat witnessed a 650% soar in shares, last week, after the speculation that the company might replace Starlink in providing internet access to Ukraine.
Dismissing the statement of Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said that “No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink.”
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio also said that the Polish Foreign Minister is “Just making things up,” and Poland should “say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now”
The Polish Foreign Minister later replied, “Thank you, Marco, for confirming that the brave soldiers of Ukraine can count on the vital internet service provided jointly by the U.S. and Poland.”
Also Read: Poland-Canada: Agreement signed to boost nuclear ties
Poland’s opposition, Law and Justice (PiS) party accused the Foreign Minister Sikorski of damaging relations with the United States.
It is important to mention that the Trump Administration has already paused intelligence sharing, and limited Ukraine’s access to satellite imagery, last month.
The initiatives were taken to put pressure on Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine.
