After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the U.S. Treasury Secretary’s initial proposal on a mining deal, the future of Starlink was discussed in U.S.-Ukraine negotiations.

Axar.az, sources told Reuters about the development.

It was reported that during a meeting with Zelensky on Thursday, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg conveyed that if Ukraine did not agree to a deal on critical minerals, Starlink services could be cut off.

The report also recalled that when Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, Elon Musk sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine.

This move by the U.S. is being viewed as an attempt to use critical wartime communication infrastructure as a political pressure tool.