Starlink caught in the middle of Trump-Zelensky talks over Ukrainian minerals

A three-cushion billiard shot. The satellite internet operator Starlink , owned by Elon Musk, is getting involved in the middle of negotiations between Donald Trump and Ukraine over the country's mineral resources . While the American president indicated a few days ago that he was ready to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine, in exchange for privileged access to the country's rare earths - critical elements for the energy and digital transition - the American administration has reportedly threatened to cut off access to Starlink to the country at war with Russia, if the latter proved too greedy in the negotiations.

According to Reuters, this threat was raised by American negotiators after the Ukrainians rejected an initial proposal. President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the idea of ​​paying the United States the equivalent of $500 billion in mineral resources in exchange for American support for the war effort with its equipment. The new American diplomacy is trying to twist his arm by waving the specter of cutting off this vital infrastructure for the country's military communications, particularly with regard to the use of drones.

Nearly 30,000 Starlink terminals have reportedly been supplied since 2022 and the start of the war. Reacting to this information, Elon Musk firmly denied it, calling it a lie. The British news agency Reuters stands by its information. In 2022, shortly after the start of the war, Elon Musk is suspected of having cut off internet access to the Ukrainian military, derailing an offensive of underwater drones in the Black Sea against the Russian fleet.

On Sunday, the Ukrainian Defense Minister indicated that he was working on an "alternative" to Starlink. This blackmail by the American administration will not fail to raise questions in Western Europe, and particularly in Italy, where the government of Giorgia Meloni is still considering the idea of ​​using the American billionaire's satellites for certain critical uses.