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US President Donald Trump is creating problems for Ukraine one after the other. Trump has warned President Zelensky and demanded rare earth minerals. US negotiators have started putting pressure for access to Ukraine’s important minerals. For this, they have expressed the possibility of reducing Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system. If the US takes this step, internet service in Ukraine may come to a halt, which will also affect the ongoing conflict with Russia. Let us tell you that a few days ago, Trump had described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a ‘dictator’. Trump is constantly pressuring Ukraine for a ceasefire with Russia.
According to Reuters news, US negotiators, who are pressuring Kiev for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals (rare earth minerals), have raised the possibility of cutting off access to Elon Musk’s important Starlink satellite internet system. Sources said the issue of Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system, owned by Elon Musk, was raised in discussions between US and Ukrainian officials. Sources said the issue of Ukraine’s continued access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was raised in discussions between US and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant’s initial offer. Starlink provides vital internet connectivity to war-torn Ukraine and its military. The issue was raised again during meetings between US Special Ukrainian Envoy Keith Kellogg and Zelensky on Thursday, the source said. During the meeting, Ukraine was told that if it did not reach an agreement on critical minerals, it could face the shutdown of Starlink service.
Threatened to shut down Starlink internet service
The source said, Ukraine runs on Starlink. They consider it their pole star. In such a situation, losing Starlink will be a big setback for Ukraine. Trump has said that if rare earth minerals are not given, then Starlink internet service will not be available. This warning has been given in the conversation of Trump’s special representative with Zelensky. Actually, Zelensky had promised to give minerals worth $ 500 billion at a cheap price, but later Ukraine reneged on its promises. Zelensky said that America has not given any special security guarantee. On Friday, the Ukrainian President said that the US and Ukrainian teams are working on an agreement and Trump said that he hopes that the agreement will be signed soon.
Why is Starlink Internet service necessary for Ukraine?
Melinda Haring, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Starlink is essential to Ukraine’s drone operations, a key pillar of its military strategy. Losing Starlink would be a game changer, Haring said. Ukraine is now on a 1:1 parity with Russia in terms of drone use cases and artillery shells, she said. Ukraine has a wide range of drone capabilities, from maritime drones and surveillance drones to long-range unmanned aerial vehicles.
Russia destroyed Ukrainian communication system
Elon Musk had sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine to replace communications services destroyed by Russia after the February 2022 invasion. Musk, hailed as a hero in Ukraine, later reduced Starlink connectivity access as he came under fire for Kiev’s handling of the war. Last year, Ukraine floated the idea of opening up its critical minerals to investment by its allies. It was part of the ‘Victory Plan’, aimed at putting it in the strongest position for negotiations and forcing Moscow to negotiate. Trump had embraced the idea, saying he wanted Ukraine to provide rare earth minerals and other minerals to the US in exchange for funding its war.
Zelensky rejected America’s proposal
But Zelensky last week rejected a detailed US proposal that would give Washington and US companies a 50 per cent share of Ukraine’s critical minerals, including graphite, uranium, titanium and lithium, a key component of electric car batteries. This has since created a rift between the two leaders.
Gill Bikram Singh