A dispute broke out in Poland over the payment of Starlink to the Ukrainian military
In Poland a dispute broke out between the anti-Ukrainian politician Slawomir Mentzen and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslav Sikorsky regarding the payment of Starlink satellite internet for the Ukrainian military.
Recently, the leader of the political alliance “Confederation” Slavomir Mentsen, known for his anti-Ukrainian statements and a participant in the presidential elections, said that Ukraine should pay for Starlink on its own.
“If Ukraine wants Starlink, let it pay for it. I don’t see any reason why we should pay for it. Polish taxpayers’ money should be spent on the needs of Poles, Menzen said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, responded to these words, stressing that the support of Ukraine directly benefits the Poles.
“By helping Ukraine, we keep Putin’s army as far as possible from our borders, which is in the interests, particularly financial, of Polish taxpayers. Foreign policy is more complicated than a multiplication table, explained the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry.
Let us remind you that on August 25, the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, vetoed the draft law, which provided for the extension until March next year of payments and free medical care for unemployed Ukrainians within the framework of temporary protection.
After that, Minister of Digitalization Krzysztof Gawkowski stated that such a decision makes it impossible to further finance the operation of the Starlink terminals transferred to Ukraine. The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine reported that consultations are currently underway with the Polish side regarding the provision of Starlink financing for Ukrainian needs.
Then the head of the Office of the President of Poland Zbigniew Bogutski specified, that access to Starlink for Ukraine will be maintained. According to him, Internet costs are covered in accordance with current legislation, and even after the presidential veto, the situation remains unchanged. He added that in September, the Polish parliament should adopt a new draft law that will preserve the current funding procedure, as well as support for storing data of Ukrainian state bodies in a safe place.
