Elon Musk fires back at Polish foreign minister over Starlink: ‘Be quiet, small man’

Radoslaw Sikorski suggested that Poland, which pays Ukraine’s Starlink costs to help it repel Russia’s invasion, might have to seek alternative suppliers if Elon Musk’s satellite network proves to be an 'unreliable provider.'

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: March 11, 2025 07:30 AM IST

3 min read

Musk, who leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, insisted he would not cut off Ukraine’s access to Starlink despite his blow-up with Poland’s top diplomat. (Reuters photo)

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio have exchanged criticisms with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over the use of Musk’s Starlink internet service in Ukraine. During the tense exchange on X, reported Al Jazeera, Sikorski suggested that Poland, which pays Ukraine’s Starlink costs to help it repel Russia’s invasion, might have to seek alternative suppliers if Musk’s satellite network proves to be an “unreliable provider.”

Sikorski made the comments after Musk, one of US President Donald Trump’s most influential allies, said the Ukrainian army’s “entire front line would collapse” without Starlink.

“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,” Musk said in response to an X user who accused him of not treating Russia as the aggressor and only criticizing Ukraine.

Rubio defends Musk

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio came to Musk’s defense following Sikorski’s post, accusing the Polish politician of “making things up.”

“No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink,” Rubio said. “And 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.”

Musk’s sharp response

Musk later lashed out at Sikorski himself, posting: “Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.”

Last month, the Reuters news agency, citing three unnamed sources, reported that US negotiators had raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine’s access to the Starlink service while pushing Kyiv for access to the country’s critical minerals.

Story continues below this ad

Also Read: | Polish PM Tusk cautions ‘friends’ against arrogance after Starlink spat

On Sunday, Musk, who leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, insisted he would not cut off Ukraine’s access to Starlink despite his blow-up with Poland’s top diplomat.

“To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals,” Musk said, reported Al Jazeera. “I am simply stating that, without Starlink, the Ukrainian lines would collapse, as the Russians can jam all other communications! We would never do such a thing or use it as a bargaining chip.”

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

From the homepage