A smartphone with the Starlink logo displayed on the screen.
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Elon Musk He said in a tweet Saturday that his company SpaceX will continue to fund Starlink satellite internet stations for the Ukrainian government while it battles invading Russian forces.
The billionaire tweeted: “Hell, even though Starlink is still losing money and other companies are getting billions of dollars from taxpayers, we will continue to fund the Ukrainian government for free.”
It was not immediately clear whether Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, was sarcastic. In response to a tweet about the move, Musk said: “We still have to do good work.” In response to another tweet saying that Musk has already paid taxes that fund Ukraine’s defense, He said“Fate loves sarcasm.”
Follow tweets a statement from musk On Friday, he said SpaceX could not continue to fund Starlink stations in Ukraine “indefinitely,” after a report suggested his space company had asked the Pentagon to cover costs.
Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a letter from SpaceX to the Pentagon, the company said using Starlink in Ukraine could cost nearly $400 million over the next 12 months, According to a CNN report. SpaceX signed several decades with US government.
Starlink internet stations donated by SpaceX were crucial to keeping the Ukrainian military online during the war against Russia, even as the communications infrastructure was destroyed. Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February.
Musk came under fire from Ukrainian officials earlier this month when he posted a Twitter poll measuring support for what he claimed was a possible outcome of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
He appears to confirm that SpaceX was planning to leave Ukraine in some form on Friday, in response to a Twitter post that indicated The Ukrainian ambassador asks Musk to “stop work.”
“We’re just following his recommendation,” Musk said.
The founder of SpaceX is also in the middle of a file Offered $44 billion to buy Twitterwho tried to get out of it. A judge ruled he had until Oct. 28 to close the takeover if he hoped to avoid prosecution.
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