The U.S. is pressuring Kyiv over a mineral agreement, threatening to cut off Starlink services, according to Reuters.

This is reported by Reuters citing three sources.

According to the agency, the issue of Ukraine's access to Starlink was raised during discussions between U.S. and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected an initial proposal from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The topic was revisited during a meeting between U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker and Zelensky.

It is worth noting that satellite communication systems are used both on the front lines and at critical infrastructure sites. Back in December 2024, SpaceX received a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to expand Ukraine's access to Starshield — a more secure, militarized version of the Starlink satellite network.

A source told Reuters that "the loss of Starlink would be a significant blow" to Ukraine.

Russian troops also use Starlink, although Elon Musk has denied that SpaceX sold Starlink satellite communication terminals directly or indirectly to Russia. The GUR suggested that Russian forces might have smuggled such terminals.