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Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX, reportedly considered shutting down the Starlink satellite internet system in Ukraine after a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The decision came after Ukrainian forces experienced outages near the front lines of the conflict with Russian occupiers. Colin Kahl, a former Pentagon official, revealed that it was his responsibility to convince Musk not to turn off the system entirely, emphasizing that doing so would not end the war.

Kahl stated that Musk was concerned that Starlink’s involvement in Ukraine was increasingly seen as supporting the Ukrainian war effort and wanted to find a way to address Russian concerns. The satellites provided by SpaceX are crucial for Ukraine’s war efforts, enabling coordination of drone strikes and intelligence gathering.

Kahl also mentioned that Musk claimed he could observe the entire war unfolding through the Starlink terminals and expressed doubts about maintaining the system for fear of being seen as a warmonger. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of PayPal, added that Musk appeared to have bought into Putin’s perspective on the war in Ukraine.

Last year, Musk faced criticism for publishing a tweet suggesting that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia, seemingly echoing Kremlin talking points. However, Musk later clarified his position, stating that SpaceX’s support for Ukraine has been significant and that they remain in favor of the country.

In June, the Pentagon announced a deal with SpaceX to continue using the Starlink system in Ukraine, though specific terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. The deal is expected to provide Ukraine with full access to the system.

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