Poland spent almost $83 million on the Starlink communications system for Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.
The Polish Ministry of Digitalization made this statement at AFP’s request, media reported. The Polish government noted that it spent “almost 323 million zlotys” (around 77 million euros or $83 million) on the purchase and maintenance of Starlink terminals for Kyiv.
“These funds were allocated for the purchase of 24,560 terminals… and for a monthly subscription fee for services,” the Polish Ministry of Digitalization said”
Poland disclosed details of its aid to Ukraine after Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski had a dispute with American billionaire presidential adviser Elon Musk, the SpaceX Starlink system, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Initially, Musk threatened Ukraine that if he closed Starlink, the entire Ukrainian front would collapse.
Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski responded to his post by noting that Starlink for Ukraine is paid for by the Polish government, and such threats raise questions about the reliability of the service provider.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Sikorski of “making things up,” as “no one has threatened to cut Ukraine off from Starlink.”
Overall, after the X controversy, Musk said that he would never cut off the Starlink network for the Ukrainian military, even if he disagreed with Ukraine’s policies.
