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Musk denies US threat to cut Starlink over Ukraine minerals deal

by Olena Goncharova February 22, 2025 10:01 PM 2 min read

Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO Elon Musk arrives to speak during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

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Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has denied reports that the United States threatened to shut off Starlink in Ukraine unless Kyiv agreed to a minerals deal.

Responding to a report by Reuters, Musk called the claim "false" and accused the news agency of lying. He offered no evidence to back up his statement.

His response came after the Kyiv Independent shared the news, which cited anonymous sources alleging that Starlink's continued operation in Ukraine was being tied to an agreement over mineral resources.

This is false.

Reuters is lying. They are second only to AP (Associated Propaganda) as legacy news liars. https://t.co/UwbDPk7MWj
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2025

The U.S. has threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to Starlink if Kyiv doesn’t agree to a critical minerals deal, Reuters reported on Feb. 21, citing sources. Negotiations are ongoing after President Zelensky refused an initial proposal, though U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal is near.

Ukraine aims to conclude an agreement with the U.S. for its natural resources on Feb. 24, Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of Ukraine's parliament, told Japanese media outlet NHK.

SpaceX began providing Starlink terminals to Ukraine shortly after the full-scale invasion, giving Kyiv a crucial communications advantage on the battlefield. Since then, however, Musk has grown increasingly vocal in criticizing Ukraine.

Musk, currently the world's richest man, heads the Trump-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an organization tasked with eliminating waste from the federal budget.

Musk has called for shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization that provides vital humanitarian aid to Ukraine. He has also amplified Russian disinformation and mocked Zelensky for calling Ukraine an independent country. Musk's comments on X are often misleading or outright false.

Author: Olena Goncharova

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