Ukraine is currently in negotiations with the European Commission to join Govsatcom, a satellite-sharing initiative established in January to provide EU member states with shared space assets. The Ukrainian military relies on Starshield, a SpaceX-owned service, to conduct drone warfare and other military operations.
Elon Musk recently accused Ukraine of violating Starlink's terms of service by using the technology for drone strikes to kill people. The billionaire warned that a violation of those terms will result in end of service, adding, "Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately."
Service for the Ukrainian military experienced a sudden slowdown last week before being restored recently. Christophe Grudler remarked that Ukraine's defence cannot depend on Trump's or Musk's whims.
Poland's foreign minister indicated he would seek alternative suppliers if SpaceX proved unreliable. The European Commission is developing Iris², a defence-first programme for governments, military, and emergency services that will feature 348 satellites in low and medium earth orbits.
Ukraine has been guaranteed access to Iris² from day one, despite not being a full-fledged member of the European Union. The SpaceRISE consortium, led by Eutelsat, SES, and Hispasat, is managing the Iris² project.
Starlink currently operates more than 10,000 active satellites, while Eutelsat's OneWeb service has about 600 active satellites. Govsatcom is restricted from use in military warfare, such as controlling drones.
