U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Saturday that the American government has had talks with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk regarding the use of Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine. This follows SpaceX’s announcement that they have taken steps to prevent Ukraine’s military from utilizing the service in the region amid the conflict with Russia. When asked by NBC News’ “Meet the Press with Chuck Todd” whether the U.S. had requested Musk not to restrict Starlink’s capabilities for Ukraine’s military, Blinken replied, “Well, I can’t share any conversations we’ve had other than to say we’ve had conversations.” SpaceX has shipped truckloads of Starlink terminals to Ukraine, allowing the country’s military to communicate by plugging them in and connecting to the thousands of satellites SpaceX has launched into low-Earth orbit. Russia has attempted to jam Starlink signals, though SpaceX has counteracted this by strengthening the service’s software, according to Musk.
U.S. discusses Starlink with Elon Musk for Ukraine.
