Elon Musk accuses Reuters of spreading false information

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 10:01
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Since the escalation of the war with Russia in 2022, SpaceX has supplied Ukraine’s military with over 40,000 Starlink terminals, which have become a crucial tool for command and control operations.

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Elon Musk holds a painting after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, on Thursday, February 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (AP)

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused Reuters of “lying” after the agency reported that he planned to use the potential shutdown of Ukraine’s Starlink internet service as leverage in US negotiations over natural resources.

The report, published Saturday and citing three unnamed US officials, claimed that during a meeting in Kiev between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and former US National Security Advisor Keith Kellogg—who was acting as an envoy for Donald Trump—Ukrainian officials were warned of an “imminent shutoff” of Starlink unless they agreed to a rare earths deal with Washington.

Musk quickly denied the allegations, posting on his platform X, “This is false. Reuters is lying. They are second only to AP (Associated Propaganda) as legacy news liars.”

40,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine

Since the escalation of the war with Russia in 2022, SpaceX has supplied Ukraine’s military with over 40,000 Starlink terminals, which have become a crucial tool for command and control operations.

The Starlink network has also been integrated into Ukraine’s combat operations, with satellite terminals attached to aerial and sea drones, ensuring reliable, hard-to-jam communication.

According to Bloomberg, SpaceX secured a Pentagon contract late last year to expand Starlink access for Ukraine. The deal reportedly granted 3,000 Ukrainian terminals access to Starshield, a more secure and militarized version of the system.

Zelensky's 'victory plan'

Last fall, Ukraine proposed opening its critical minerals sector to allied investments as part of a "victory plan" designed to strengthen its position in negotiations and pressure Moscow. Trump has supported this idea, seeking Ukrainian rare earths and other resources in exchange for continued US financial aid.

Zelensky recently rejected a US proposal that would have granted Washington and American firms control over 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals, including graphite, uranium, titanium, and lithium—essential for electric vehicle batteries.

This disagreement has widened the gap between Zelensky and Trump. On Wednesday, Trump criticized Zelensky as "a dictator without elections," while Zelensky accused Trump of being "trapped in a Russian disinformation bubble" after the US president suggested that Ukraine initiated the war.