Zelenskyy speaks with Elon Musk, Ukraine to get another batch of Starlink systems

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said he had spoken to Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and that the country was set to receive another batch of Starlink systems next week.

In a tweet, Zelenskyy said he was grateful to Musk for supporting Ukraine with "words and deeds". 

Talked to @elonmusk. I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Discussed possible space projects 🚀. But I’ll talk about this after the war.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 5, 2022

Zelenskyy also said that he discussed possible space projects with the billionaire but will talk about that after the war.

After Ukraine's invasion by Russia, Musk had said that Starlink satellite broadband service had been activated in Ukraine. The move came after Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov urged him to provide satellite-based communications to help resist the invasion.

Also Read: Elon Musk activates Starlink internet service in Ukraine after minister's plea

Starlink internet accounts for 1,45,000 users in 25 countries. According to Musk, the laser satellite links ensure smooth operation and reliable internet coverage.

Starlink is one of the many companies launching small satellites to provide broadband internet services in areas where the terrestrial network is hard to set up. It enables the satellites to operate without sending data back to a ground station. Instead, the data is beamed between the satellites using laser links, enabling faster transfer speeds.

On Saturday, Musk had said that Starlink will not block Russian news sources unless "at gunpoint".

Sharing a tweet, Musk apologised for being a "free speech absolutist" stating that regardless of several government requests (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources, the company will not do so. 

Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint.

Sorry to be a free speech absolutist.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022

As the Russian attacks on Ukraine continue for the 11th day, the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine is expected to reach 1.5 million on Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies)

Also Read: Elon Musk warns Starlink system could be 'targeted' in Ukraine