Europe must tackle dependency on Starlink, EU leaders say

Elon Musk, founder of Starlink operator SpaceX, has shifted his stance on Ukraine several times since Russia’s invasion in 2022.(AFP) — EU leaders grappled Friday with how to tackle Ukraine’s dependence on Starlink satellite communications supporting its battlefield operations, as Kyiv was rocked by disruptions to the U.S.-owned system.The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said Europe did not have a readily available alternative to technology controlled by Elon Musk’s SpaceX as she arrived at an EU summit where the issue was expected to be high on the agenda.“Starlink is really necessary for Ukraine and unfortunately in (the) short term Europe can’t replace this capability,” Kallas said before the talks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also attended.Ukraine uses Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade satellite service, for its battlefield communications, midrange strikes on Russian-occupied territory and interceptor drones.It also uses SpaceX’s Starlink civilian satellite system, but not for offensive operations.Musk has shifted his stance on Ukraine several times since Russia’s invasion in 2022.Kyiv reported restrictions on its use of the Starlink system this week. Musk said any disruption was the responsibility of the U.S. government, not SpaceX.Kallas said the European Defence Agency had mapped all the “critical capabilities” that Europe lacked and needed to develop, adding that Europe needed to fill these gaps “as soon as possible.”European leaders echoed the urgency of building Europe’s capabilities.“Starlink is the key for Ukraine actually to fight or fight back,” Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs told reporters.“It takes time for us to have the same capabilities. We do have, but not enough. So this is strategically something we have to discuss today.”Zelenskyy took part in the leaders’ talks, with Ukraine and Europe’s own security and defense on the agenda.Also addressing the Starlink issue, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said he had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday “how we, as Europeans, can provide more of these kinds of services in the not too distant future.”Speeds on the system were slower Wednesday, affecting connectivity, according to Ukrainian officials, who have suggested Washington was behind the slower speeds reported on some Starlink internet terminals.British Defense Minister Wes Streeting also said he discussed Starlink with his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday.“It’s not yet clear to us in the UK what happened, why the service interruption occurred. But I am reassured, and was reassured directly by Secretary Hegseth, that the service has been restored,” he told the BBC on Friday.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads