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‘Be quiet, small man’: Musk clashes with Polish FM over Starlink in Ukraine
Al Jazeera ^ | 3/10/2025 | Staff

Posted on 03/10/2025 6:17:58 AM PDT by marcusmaximus

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio have traded barbs with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over the use of Musk’s Starlink internet service in Ukraine.

During the tense exchange on X on Sunday, Sikorski suggested that Poland, which pays Ukraine’s Starlink costs to help it repel Russia’s invasion, might have to seek alternative suppliers if Musk’s satellite network proves to be an “unreliable provider”.

-snip-

Rubio came to Musk’s defence following Sikorski’s post, accusing the Polish politician of “making things up”.

“No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink,” Rubio said.

“And say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now.”

‘Starlink will never turn off its terminals’

Musk later lashed out at Sikorski himself, posting: “Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.”

Last month, the Reuters news agency, citing three unnamed sources, reported that US negotiators had raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine’s access to the Starlink service while pushing Kyiv for access to the country’s critical minerals.

On Sunday, Musk, who leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, insisted he would not cut off Ukraine’s access to Starlink despite his blow-up with Poland’s top diplomat.

“To be extremely clear, no matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals,” Musk said.

“I am simply stating that, without Starlink, the Ukrainian lines would collapse, as the Russians can jam all other communications! We would never do such a thing or use it as a bargaining chip.”

Poland funded about half of the estimated 42,000 Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine.

(Excerpt) Read more at aljazeera.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: 0dailytroll; 202502; 202503; communications; musk; poland; radoslawsikorski; reuters; rumormill; spamspamspam; starlink; ukraine; unnamedsources
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1 posted on 03/10/2025 6:17:58 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
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To: marcusmaximus

you’re not in kursk yet? :)

they could use “men” like you!


2 posted on 03/10/2025 6:20:23 AM PDT by dp0622 (Tried a coup, a fake tax story, tramp slander, Russia nonsense, impeachment and a virus. They lost.)
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To: marcusmaximus

Friendly reminder Z & Co.:

We have the ability to cause you a 100% loss if you don’t stop the killing and accept a 20% loss today.

- PDJT, Elon, Little Marco


3 posted on 03/10/2025 6:20:39 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Ukraine stands as a warning that countries must sufficiently provide for their OWN defense.)
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To: marcusmaximus

If you think there’s going to be societal upheaval in the USA and restriction of communication you had better get starlink now. No way to jam it short of blowing up individual satellites.
I got it not only because I live where cable isn’t available but also if the deep state won the election.


4 posted on 03/10/2025 6:24:32 AM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: DouglasKC

I got Starlink because every time my power went out, I lost my internet.

Much faster than my old provider.


5 posted on 03/10/2025 6:35:33 AM PDT by airborne (Thank you Rush for helping me find FreeRepublic! )
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To: airborne

When we first moved to where we are now our only other option was internet over cell system cheap but dog slow. Starlink was a gamechanger.


6 posted on 03/10/2025 6:39:29 AM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: marcusmaximus
“Musk later lashed out at Sikorski himself, posting: “Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.” “

BOOM!

7 posted on 03/10/2025 6:42:09 AM PDT by McGruff (Biden will go down in history as the worst president ever.)
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To: marcusmaximus

Musk calling Tusk “small.” Musk sure has a sense of humor.

BTW Is Musk wearing a proper business suit nowadays?


8 posted on 03/10/2025 6:43:21 AM PDT by Redmen4ever
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To: Redmen4ever

Only if you call a jacket over his Tech Support t shirt proper.


9 posted on 03/10/2025 6:46:43 AM PDT by Valpal1 (Not even the police are safe from the police!!!)
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To: marcusmaximus

Not a good look for Elon. Sikorski risked his life as part of the student opposition to Poland’s Communist government during the Solidarity era. He went on the put his life at risk again documenting Soviet war crimes in both Afghanistan and Angola.


10 posted on 03/10/2025 7:11:53 AM PDT by GrootheWanderer
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To: marcusmaximus

Did Zelenski find anyone to pay his internet bill this month?


11 posted on 03/10/2025 7:34:54 AM PDT by Delta 21 (If anyone is treasonous, it is those who call me such.)
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To: marcusmaximus

good idea to turn starlink off.
make them pay full fee.no discounts...
coleslaw S-ski is an idiot.
please remove all US troops from eastern europe especially poland.


12 posted on 03/10/2025 7:47:30 AM PDT by CarolinaReaganFan
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To: GrootheWanderer

Then he should know enough to keep his mouth shut.


13 posted on 03/10/2025 7:54:17 AM PDT by McGavin999 ( A sense of humor is a sign of intelligence, leftists have no sense of humor, therefore……)
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To: McGavin999

I agree. But it’s clear that one thing Musk can’t do is keep his mouth shut. Ketamine is a hell of a drug.


14 posted on 03/10/2025 7:58:27 AM PDT by GrootheWanderer
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To: GrootheWanderer

Poland has always been a favorite of America, but if Tusk doesn’t put a sock in the mouth of that FM Poland’s will find us thinking they are the same as the Euros. We have been more than generous over the years and Musk was a lifesaver to the Ukes. The lack is of gratitude and the failure to understand the incredible generosity of Musk just goes to show that no good deed goes unpunished.


15 posted on 03/10/2025 8:12:38 AM PDT by McGavin999 ( A sense of humor is a sign of intelligence, leftists have no sense of humor, therefore……)
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To: McGavin999

“Poland has always been a favorite of America”

And that’s a natural thing, considering America’s large Polish immigrant population as well as the fact that Poland has always been among the most western-oriented of the Slavic countries (e.g., using the Roman alphabet instead of Cyrillic, Catholic instead of Orthodox, etc). BUT the Poles need to know their place and remember that’s it’s Uncle Sam that’s ultimately got their back not Macron nor Starmer.


16 posted on 03/10/2025 8:19:43 AM PDT by irishjuggler
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To: irishjuggler

Great point.

P. S. If Mike Ditka had decided to step into the Illinois Senate race in 2008, we could have skipped the entire Baraq Hussein Obama era.


17 posted on 03/10/2025 8:42:10 AM PDT by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
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To: Redmen4ever
Musk calling Tusk “small.”

Where did you get that idea?

In any case, whether Sikorski is big or small, he sure did not handle this well as Poland's top diplomat. By now it should be clear to anyone, certainly foreign ministers, that one does not openly disrespect Trump or Musk and talk smack to them. That is a 100% loser's move. He should have swallowed whatever irritation he might have felt (= the job description of a diplomat) and sung Starlink's praises instead.

18 posted on 03/10/2025 9:33:04 AM PDT by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
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To: GrootheWanderer
But it’s clear that one thing Musk can’t do is keep his mouth shut.

For all he's done for the world and for the US, he can say and dress any damn way he wants......

19 posted on 03/10/2025 9:37:25 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: marcusmaximus

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, recently input a healthy dose of realism when he remarked about the current situation, “500 million Europeans expect 330 million Americans to protect them from 160 million Russians”.


20 posted on 03/10/2025 9:52:10 AM PDT by libertylover (Our biggest problem, by far, is that almost all of big media is AGENDA-DRIVEN, not-truth driven.)
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