The head of the Polish president's office, Karol Nawrocki, Zbigniew Bogucki, denied claims that the presidential veto on the amendment to the law on aid to Ukrainians would result in the shutdown of Starlink in Ukraine.
According to Radio Free Europe, Bogucki stated that Nawrocki's veto does not turn off Starlink in Ukraine, since the costs are covered under the provisions of existing law, and the bill submitted to the Polish Sejm by the president maintains the status quo.
“This is sufficient for the effective processing of this presidential initiative in the Polish parliament in September. The same applies to support for storing Ukrainian government data securely,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Earlier, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization, Krzysztof Gawkowski, criticized Nawrocki for the veto, claiming it would lead to the shutdown of Starlink provided by Poland to Ukraine.
“Karol Nawrocki's decision effectively shuts down the internet (Starlink – ed.) in Ukraine, as it is directly linked to his decision regarding the law on aid to Ukrainian citizens. This marks the end of Starlink, which Poland provides to war-torn Ukraine. It also signifies the end of support for storing Ukrainian government data securely,” he wrote on social media platform X.
The publication notes that the ability to use Starlink terminals in Ukraine emerged at the end of February 2022. Since then, Ukraine has received over 50,000 terminals from international partners and donors, of which nearly 30,000 were funded by Poland, stated Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov in April.
Nawrocki announced on August 25 that he had not signed the amendment to the law on aid for Ukrainian citizens. The bill aimed to extend social payments for refugees until March 2026.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized the veto, but his government lacks the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to overturn it.
Later, the spokesperson of Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs, Marek Georgica, stated that starting from October 1, Poland will no longer be able to pay for the Starlink subscription for Ukraine due to the presidential veto.
