Starlink satellites in the sky above Salgotarjan, Hungary, 20 April 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE/PETER KOMKA HUNGARY OUT
The US authorities have raised the possibility that Ukraine’s access to Starlink’s satellite internet system could be disabled if Kyiv refuses to sign up to a proposed deal granting Washington large shares of revenues generated by its natural resources, Reuters reported on Saturday.
Reuters sources said that Washington had begun weighing up the option after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused to sign a first draft of the deal, with one source saying that the matter had also been discussed when Zelensky met US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg on Thursday.
Ukraine faces “imminent shutoff” from Starlink, which is owned by US aerospace company SpaceX whose CEO is key Trump ally Elon Musk, if an agreement isn’t reached, Reuters said. “Ukraine runs on Starlink. They consider it their North Star. Losing Starlink ... would be a massive blow,” a source told Reuters.
Several versions of a deal that would hand the US access to Ukraine’s natural resources “in exchange for post-war financial support” have been discussed, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presenting Zelensky with the first draft in Kyiv on 12 February, and a revised and “improved” version being proffered by the administration on Thursday.
Telegram news channel Clash Report published the full text of the draft deal on 17 February, which several European media sources confirmed was genuine. The deal would see Kyiv repaying Washington for its assistance since the war began almost three years ago by granting it indefinite access to its mineral, oil and gas wealth.
Most notably, the US would take 50% of Ukraine’s current mining revenue plus 50% of the cost of mining licenses granted to third parties. Washington would also have preferential access to resources for export and almost complete control over most of the raw material sector of the Ukrainian economy, while providing Kyiv no security guarantees in return.