The Pentagon is considering paying for Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network in war-torn Ukraine, Politico reported on Monday, citing two US officials involved in the discussions.
The most likely source of funding would be the US Department
of Defense Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, designed to support the
country as it fights Russia, the report added.
Musk had said on Friday that SpaceX could not indefinitely
fund Starlink in Ukraine, but backtracked over the weekend to assert the rocket
company would continue to fund the service in the country.
He said in a tweet on Monday that SpaceX had already
withdrawn its request for funding, an acknowledgement that such a request was
made.
A Pentagon spokesman said the Defense Department would not
speculate on future security assistance announcements before they occur.
A separate report in the Financial Times said the European
Union was also weighing funding Starlink in Ukraine, citing three officials
with knowledge of the decision.
Musk, the world's richest person and chief executive of
Tesla, recently said SpaceX spends nearly $20 million a month for maintaining satellite services in
Ukraine and that the company has spent about $80 million to enable and support
Starlink there.
"To be precise, 25,300 terminals were sent to Ukraine,
but, at present, only 10,630 are paying for service," Musk tweeted on
Monday.
Starlink has helped Ukraine's civilians and military stay
online during the war, with Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov last
week saying Starlink's services helped restore energy and communications
infrastructure in critical areas. © Reuters