Elon Musk, who heads the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), denied a Reuters report that Washington is considering cutting Ukraine off from the Starlink satellite communication system.
"This is a lie. Reuters is lying. They are second only to AP (Associated Propaganda) among the liars of the old media", Musk wrote in X, commenting on the aforementioned Reuters publication.
Earlier, the agency reported, citing its sources, that the United States is considering the possibility of excluding Ukraine from Starlink as one of the measures to put pressure on Kiev to conclude a bilateral agreement on rare earth metals. The article claims that the issue of further granting Ukraine access to Starlink has already been raised by Washington in negotiations with Kiev, after Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the initial proposal of US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant.
As the agency notes, the Ukrainian side was told that the country would be “immediately disconnected“ from Starlink if Zelensky again refuses the minerals agreement. The publication emphasizes that the Ukrainian military is actively using Starlink to maintain communications. Starlink communication services are provided by Musk's company SpaceX.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Washington and Kiev were close to signing an agreement. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he noted that “this is a big deal“ and that the Ukrainians “want it“. Zelensky, in a video message posted on his Telegram channel on Friday, expressed hope for a "fair outcome" on the agreement with the United States on rare earth metals in Ukraine. He said work on the draft document was continuing.