The Ukrainian ambassador Andrij Melnyk insulted Elon Musk after the billionaire suggested that Russia be allowed to annex Crimea.
Elon Musk 's Starlink satellite internet will no longer be provided to Ukrainians for free, and he has apparently asked the Pentagon to pay.
The news comes just days after Ukrainian Ambassador Andrij Melnyk responded to Elon Musk's suggestion that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could be ended by, among other things, formally allowing Russia to annex Crimea.
Musk said that «simply follows the recommendation» of the Ukrainian ambassador.
Starlink has been a vital source of communications for the Ukrainian military with about 20,000 donations, at a cost of “$80 million and will exceed $100 million by the end of the year,” Elon Musk wrote on Twitter on Friday .
However, CNN reports that SpaceX has asked the Pentagon to pay for Ukraine's use of Starlink - which could cost close to $120 million for the rest of the year.
See also: Elon Musk: Chinese government doesn't want Starlink in China
“We are not in a position to donate further terminals to Ukraine or fund existing terminals indefinitely,” SpaceX.
"SpaceX is facing incredibly difficult decisions here. I don't think they have the financial means to provide additional terminals or services as requested by General [Valerii] Zaluzhniy [ Ukraine 's commander ]," wrote an outside consultant.
The United States has already paid for more than 1,330 terminals from Elon Musk 's SpaceX to be sent to Ukraine, with SpaceX itself donating 3,670 terminals. The terminals will come with three months of "unlimited data."
However, tensions could now arise after Musk's comments about the war. "Repeat elections for the annexed territories under UN. Russia leaves if that is the will of the people," Musk.
"Crimea is formally part of Russia, as it was since 1783 (until Khrushchev's mistake). Water supply to Crimea guaranteed." – Ukraine remains neutral.
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«This is very likely to be the result in the end – the only question is how many will die by then. It is also worth noting that a possible, albeit unlikely, outcome of this conflict is nuclear war».
Musk later added: "Russia is doing a partial mobilization. They are going to full war mobilization if Crimea is threatened. The death toll on both sides would be catastrophic. Russia has over 3 times the population of Ukraine , so victory for Ukraine is unlikely in a full-scale war. If you care about the people of Ukraine, seek peace."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conducted his own poll on Twitter, asking his followers which Elon Musk they prefer, "The one who supports Ukraine" or "The one who supports Russia."
Source: www.independent.co.uk
