Rome (AFP) – Italian opposition parties stepped up criticism Monday of a proposed deal between the government and SpaceX’s Starlink following founder Elon Musk’s suggestion he could cut Ukraine from the satellite network. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right government has been negotiating with Musk’s privately-owned SpaceX over a reported 1.5-billion-euro ($1.6-billion) deal to use Starlink to provide secure telecommunications for its diplomats and military.
The proposal has sparked outrage among Italy’s opposition parties, which on Monday renewed their demands that talks stop after Musk said on his X social media platform Sunday that Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse” were he to turn off Starlink for Kyiv’s forces. Poland’s foreign minister accused him of threats, after which Musk — the richest man on earth and a senior advisor to US President Donald Trump, who has frozen US military support to Kyiv — insisted Starlink will “never turn off its terminals” in Ukraine.
Still, centrist Carlo Calenda, who leads Italy’s Action party, on Monday branded Musk “not a reliable partner”. The leader of the Democratic Party, Italy’s largest opposition group, said Sunday that Meloni should “change course immediately”. “How can Giorgia Meloni want to hand over the keys to Italy’s national security to Musk after hearing his latest, very serious words?” she wrote on X.
Meloni has said in the past she has “excellent relations” with the billionaire Musk, whom she has called a “genius”. In January, she said she would evaluate any Starlink deal through “the lens of national interest”, while adding that there were “no public alternatives”. However, last week the head of European satellite operator Eutelsat, Eva Berneke, told the news agency Bloomberg that it was in discussions with Rome. Italian media have reported that President Sergio Mattarella, Italy’s head of state, also has reservations about the Starlink deal.
Responding to one such report at the weekend, Musk wrote on X: “It would be an honour to speak with President Mattarella.” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, backs a deal and said this weekend he would be ready to sign it “tomorrow morning”. “Not because I like Musk or because I’m rooting for Trump — because it would improve Italy’s national security,” he said at a party event in Milan, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
© 2024 AFP
