Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump adviser Elon Musk sparred Sunday with Poland’s foreign minister on Sunday, urging the diplomat to be quiet and thankful for keeping Russia away from his doorstep.
In a message on X calling for a peaceful end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Mr. Musk said his Starlink system is the “backbone” of the Ukrainian army.
SpaceX’s Starlink provides high-speed internet access through connections via satellites, and Mr. Musk said the entire Ukrainian front line would collapse without the access his company provides.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski replied to Mr. Musk’s message in a post saying the Polish Digitization Ministry is paying about $50 million for Ukraine’s Starlink access and his country may decide to spend its money elsewhere.
“The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for other suppliers,” Mr. Sikorski posted on X.
Mr. Rubio rushed to Mr. Musk’s defense and said Mr. Sikorski was “making things up.”
“No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink,” Mr. Rubio posted on X. “And say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now.”
Mr. Musk also replied to Mr. Sikorski in a post, saying, “There is no substitute for Starlink.”
“Be quiet, small man,” Mr. Musk said to Mr. Sikorski. “You pay a tiny fraction of the cost.”
The swift and united response to the Polish foreign minister stands in contrast to reports of Mr. Rubio and Mr. Musk clashing in the White House last week. Mr. Musk complained that Mr. Rubio had not sufficiently cut his department’s staff, while Mr. Rubio argued that Mr. Musk was not being truthful, according to the New York Times.
Mr. Trump has previously decried reports of Mr. Musk’s influence in his administration as evidence of the president’s political opponents trying to drive a wedge between Mr. Trump and a top adviser.
“It’s just so obvious. They’re so bad at it. I used to think they were good at it,” Mr. Trump said in a February interview alongside Mr. Musk in the White House on Fox News. “They’re actually bad at it because if they were good at it, I’d never be president because I think nobody in history has ever gotten more bad publicity than me.”
Mr. Rubio’s quick response on Sunday morning in defense of Mr. Musk suggests the president’s team wants to prevent fractures from emerging between Mr. Musk and Cabinet members, too.
