Will Poland ‘pull the plug’ on Ukraine’s Starlink?
Poland has been a lifeline to Ukraine during the ongoing war: sending money, hosting the sites where most of the military aid from other countries is stored before it is sent to the war-torn neighbor.
Warsaw government also has welcomed more than a million Ukrainian refugees, extending to them access to social benefits.
But there’s a thorn in the side of this relationship: the WW2 massacre of 100,000 Poles by the Ukrainian Nazi-allied forces of Stephan Bandera, who is presently Kiev’s national hero.
Just two weeks ago, Poland expelled 57 Ukrainians for Displaying Nazi Flag During Concert Riot, which exposed the ongoing crisis between the countries.
Now, against the backdrop of the dispute between conservative President Karol Nawrocki and the Liberal-Globalist Prime Minister Donald Tusk, decisions are being taken in Poland that will deeply affect not only the bilateral relations, but the course of Ukraine’s war against Russia.
A report arises today that Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink could be cut due to the Polish president’s veto of a refugee aid bill.
It is widely known that Poland pays for the Starlink terminals in Ukraine, securing the only internet connectivity to the country and its military in the middle of the war with Russia.
Reuters reported:
“Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Monday vetoed a bill extending state financial support provided to Ukrainian refugees and unveiled plans to limit their future access to child benefits and healthcare.
However, Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzystof Gawkowski said the vetoed legislation also provided the legal basis for providing Starlink to Ukraine.
‘This is the end of Starlink internet, which Poland provides to Ukraine as it wages war’, he wrote on X.”
With Nawrocki’s veto, from October 1 there will be no legal basis for paying for Starlink.
“Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest backers since Russia invaded in 2022. Both the centrist government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Nawrocki, a conservative nationalist, agree on the need to help Ukraine resist Russia’s invasion but some Poles have grown weary of helping to support an estimated 1.5 million Ukrainians currently living in Poland.”
Inspired by U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s America First movement, Nawrocki promised during his election campaign this year to put ‘Poles first’, and to limit the handouts to foreigners.
“’I did not change my opinion and I intend to fulfil my obligations and I believe that (family) benefit should only be granted to those Ukrainians who make the effort to work in Poland, the same with healthcare’, he told journalists.”
Read more:
Poland Expels 57 Ukrainians for Displaying Nazi Flag During Concert Riot (VIDEOS)
