Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov expressed confidence that a solution will be found to continue Poland's funding of about 30,000 Starlink satellite internet systems, despite signals from Warsaw that it may withdraw from covering the costs after a presidential veto.
Poland is the largest donor of Starlink devices provided by Elon Musk's SpaceX company. Tens of thousands of terminals are used by the Ukrainian army on the front lines as a key communications platform, resistant to hacking and jamming.
"We are communicating with our colleagues and I am sure that everything will be fine, that we will find a solution to continue supporting this project," Fedorov, who is also the minister of digitalization, told "Reuters" in an interview. He stressed that while there are alternative satellite systems, none of them can compare to the scale and cost of Starlink.
On Monday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a bill to extend state support for Ukrainian refugees, including their access to benefits and healthcare. Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski said that this legislation also provided the legal basis for Starlink funding for Ukraine.
A presidential spokesman told Reuters that there was a possibility of restoring the funding if parliament approved a new bill proposed by Nawrocki by the end of next month.
Fedorov said that Kiev was developing an “internal network” to provide backup options in case of possible disruptions. “Technical failures should not bring down the front line or any important area of activity. That is why we should always have options B, C, D and so on,” he noted.