Ukraine's Starlink access at risk as Polish foreign minister revives feud with Musk
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Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized Elon Musk, the owner of satellite company Starlink, on Aug. 12 over the decision to exclude Poland from the European roaming area.
Starlink satellites are vital for Ukraine's armed forces, and access is paid for on Ukraine's behalf by the Polish government.
"Hey Elon Musk, big man, stop discriminating Polish users of Starlink or we might rethink paying you $50 million per annum for your services," Sikorski posted on X.
The "big man" remark appears to reference the last time Sikorski and Musk butted heads.
In March 2025, Musk told Sikorski, "Be quiet, small man," after Sikorski raised concerns that Starlink might be cut off for Ukraine.
Sikorski's Aug. 12 threat to cut Poland's Starlink subscription also mentions a $50 million-per-year fee. He had previously referenced the same number as the cost of providing half of Ukraine's 42,000 terminals.
At the time of publication, it is not clear whether Sikorski is threatening to cut Poland's payments for Starlink access for Ukraine, or if the $50 million refers to a different subscription specifically for Poland.
The Kyiv Independent has contacted the Polish Foreign Ministry for a comment.
Poland excluded from Starlink's map of Europe
Starlink's Roam plan allows customers to use their internet subscription abroad. It groups some 30 European countries and regions as a single travel area, but Poland is not included.
The country is explicitly mentioned as being "treated as Poland-only for home-country use."
"From Aug. 17, Poles using Starlink Roam are to be treated less favorably than customers from other European countries," Polish digital minister Krzysztof Gawkowski posted on X.
No explanation is provided on the Starlink website as to why Poland is treated differently. Nor is the logic of which European countries are in and out of Starlink's single travel area self-evident.
Alongside Poland, Cyprus is the only other EU country not included in the travel area.
Ukraine is not included either, and nor are Moldova or non-EU countries in the Western Balkans.
"I have asked SpaceX to urgently restore equal treatment for the company's Polish customers. If the reason is 'local regulatory requirements', I expect them to specify the relevant regulations," wrote Gawkowski.
"Polish citizens cannot be treated less favorably simply because a global corporation has decided so."
