EUROPE WARNS STARLINK THAT BROKEN CONTRACTS COULD DESTROY TRUST
European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius has warned that Starlink could lose the confidence of European governments if it fails to honor contracts supporting Ukraine.
Kubilius stressed that these services are not acts of charity from SpaceX. European countries are paying for them, and unexplained restrictions during military operations could damage the company’s ability to secure future government and civilian contracts across Europe.
The European Union cannot fully replace Starlink overnight, but it is building alternatives. GOVSATCOM already pools secure satellite capacity from EU members, with Ukraine potentially gaining access in 2027. The larger IRIS² constellation—often described as Europe’s answer to Starlink—is expected to begin providing capabilities around 2029.
Starlink’s greatest advantage has been trust in its availability. Once governments believe that access can be restricted without warning, they begin searching for systems they can control themselves.
The world may not abandon Starlink tomorrow, but every unexplained interruption pushes Europe, Ukraine and other countries toward sovereign alternatives. SpaceX built an extraordinary network; its decisions now risk creating the competitors that will eventually reduce the world’s dependence on it.