Musk Attacks Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski Over Starlink In Ukraine: “Be Quiet, Small Man”

On Sunday, Elon Musk posted on the social media platform X, declaring, “My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.” Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by SpaceX, Musk’s aerospace company, provides critical connectivity to Ukraine, which is now in the fourth year of its war against Russia. 

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Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, responded on X clarifying that Poland’s Digitization Ministry pays approximately $50 million annually for Starlink’s services. In response to Musk’s warning of turning it off, Sikorski warned that “if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers.” 

Musk fired back, dismissing Sikorski with, “Be quiet, small man.” He further argued that Poland pays only a tiny fraction of the cost of Starlink and that no viable alternatives exist, underscoring Ukraine’s reliance on U.S. technology. 

The exchange drew reactions from U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who defended Musk and accused Sikorski of “making things up.” Rubio denied that any threats had been made to cut Ukraine off from Starlink, adding, “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.”  

Marcin Przydacz, a Polish lawmaker, also commented on the dispute, posting in Polish on X, “A quarrel with the Americans on X is what we need at a time of key decisions in this region.”

Musk later reaffirmed Starlink’s commitment to Ukraine, stating, “Starlink will never turn off its terminals… We would never do such a thing or use it as a bargaining chip.”

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Article by Evelyn Qiu