French satellite operator Eutelsat Communications SA said that negotiations with the European Union to replace Elon Musk’s Starlink are intensifying as the United States turns away from its security commitments to the continent.
Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke said these words in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
“Today, everyone is asking us, ‘Can you replace a large number of Starlink terminals in Ukraine?“ and we are considering this possibility,” Berneke said.
According to Berneke, the company already operates in Ukraine and has thousands of terminals, but not all of them are connected to the network. According to her, it will take several months to provide 40 thousand terminals. That’s about the number of Starlink terminals in use in the country.
Starlink has become an essential service for the Ukrainian military in the three-year defensive war with Russia after much of the country’s communications infrastructure was knocked out of action.
Although many of Ukraine’s Starlink terminals are funded by Europe, tense relations between Washington and Kyiv have raised concerns that the service could be interrupted.
According to Berneke, Eutelsat will need financial and logistical support to rapidly increase the number of terminals in Ukraine.
Eutelsat shares soared more than sixfold this week after European Union politicians pledged to increase defense spending. On Wednesday, about 22.5 million Eutelsat shares changed hands, the highest single-day total on record, according to Bloomberg data.
According to Berneke, Eutelsat is also in talks with Italy to ensure secure satellite communications. The company operates the second largest portfolio of low-orbit satellites after Starlink.
The Italian government is increasingly doubtful about the €1.5 billion deal with Starlink, Bloomberg reported this, citing people familiar with the talks.
At the same time, Poland warns that a possible disconnection of access to the Starlink network for Ukraine by billionaire Elon Musk will provoke a “major international crisis.”
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the European Commission is looking into how it can help Ukraine provide satellite communications amid reports of a possible cutoff of access to the Starlink network.
Earlier, Reuters reported that representatives of Donald Trump’s administration threatened Ukraine with immediate disconnection from Starlink if Kyiv did not agree to a profit-sharing agreement on the use of Ukrainian natural resources.
American billionaire Elon Musk denied the reports.
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