EU is negotiating Ukraine’s association with its satellite communications system amid disruptions to Starlink
Kyiv • UNN
The European Commission is aware of reports regarding Starlink restrictions for Ukraine. The EU is discussing Ukraine’s full association with the Govsatcom programme.
The European Commission is aware of reports about restrictions on Starlink for Ukraine and stated what it is offering on its side: it is negotiating with Ukraine on Ukraine’s "full association" with the EU’s GOVSATCOM satellite communications programme. European Commission spokespersons Paula Pinho and Thomas Regnier said this during a briefing on 15 October, UNN reports.
Details
"Regarding reports of disruptions to Starlink, we are aware of these reports, and we cannot comment further until we receive more information. It is also important to say that we have no indication that intelligence sharing has ceased, so it is also important to flag this," European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said.
At the same time, Pinho noted that "we are doing a lot of work, of course, to increase our own satellite assistance."
"The war in Ukraine clearly shows that our security also depends on space, and we are doing quite a lot here, and we are certainly ready to support Ukraine wherever we can," Thomas Regnier stressed.
He pointed to "two things that we already have."
"First, there is Govsatcom, which is the pooling and shared use of the existing satellite capabilities of the member states. The good news here is that the platform was created and set up in January this year, and is operating together with our member states," he said.
We are now trying to find a way, and we are currently negotiating with Ukraine on Ukraine’s full association with Govsatcom
According to him, "the second phase will take place in January or at the beginning of next year."
"We could add commercial capacities to Govsatcom, and this would allow us to bridge the gap until 2029, when our constellation of more than 300 satellites under Iris² will be fully operational," he stressed.
Asked how this satellite system could provide Ukraine with the same services that Starshield provides, Pinho stressed: "We are not making any comparison here between what is being offered and the areas on which we are working."
"We are fully aware of the importance of this satellite service, especially in the current context," Pinho also said.
Recall
The liberal political group in the European Parliament Renew Europe called on the European Commission and the Council of the EU to purchase satellite communications services from European providers for Ukraine after new restrictions on Starlink reportedly disrupted Ukrainian military operations. In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, the liberal group called for temporary access to the EU’s GOVSATCOM programme and procurement from Eutelsat, Hispasat and SES.
The call came after reports of restrictions on Starlink for Ukraine.
As Bloomberg noted on 15 October, "regular service for Starshield internet terminals used by the Ukrainian military appears to have been restored." "Starshield service has been restored, and the Defence Ministry in Kyiv continues negotiations with the US over the reasons for restricting the previous service," Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the issue is confidential.