Europe pushes for technological autonomy after Starlink restrictions on Ukraine

Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher.

European officials have intensified discussions on ways to reduce their reliance on the United States and American defense contractors following the recent blame game over Ukraine’s Starlink restrictions, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter. The Starlink controversy, which sparked a new public rift between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump, dominated the European Union leaders’ summit in mid-October and spurred discussions across Europe about ramping up domestic capabilities, cutting dependence on the US, and reducing reliance on any single provider of critical technologies.

After days of finger-pointing over changes to Starlink’s speed in Ukraine, Elon Musk said in an X post that the company had acted after Ukraine violated its rules by using Starlink for offensive drone strikes. “That loophole was closed,” Musk said, further alarming European officials and NATO.

Sources told Bloomberg that Europe is considering relying on existing government-owned communications systems until a secure European satellite network comes online in a few years. Yet officials acknowledged that any such shift will take years, given Europe’s deep reliance on US technology. The most realistic path, sources say, is to strengthen Europe’s role within existing structures, including NATO.

Musk has been clear about the rules. “Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” he wrote. “Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them. The Ukrainian military violated Starlink’s terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people.”

At the same time, Trump has claimed significant progress toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters at Andrews military base after returning from Texas, he said: “I think we’re making tremendous progress with Russia, with Russia and Ukraine. A meeting will be scheduled soon. I think there’s a lot of progress.”

When asked whom he expected to meet, the US president said he hopes to sit down with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky soon. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in September that Russia remains ready to host Zelensky in Moscow for talks, would provide security guarantees, and that the Ukrainian leader “knows perfectly well what decisions need to be made.”

These statements come amid a backdrop in which The Independent has argued that both Trump and Musk have effectively turned their backs on Ukraine. The British newspaper said, “It can be said with even more confidence that neither Mr Musk nor President Trump want Ukraine to win – in stark contrast to the rest of what we used to call the West.” The same editorial warned that Europe cannot fully replace Washington’s support for Kiev in the near term and that “as ever, Europe is moving too slowly to prevent the ultimate catastrophe of a Russian victory.”

Bloomberg noted that Vice President JD Vance used the Starlink incident to criticize Europe for its reliance on the US and suggested the feud was more political and strategic.

“I don’t think this is about Elon; I think it’s fundamentally about what America’s policy toward Ukraine and Russia will be,” Vance told reporters. “European countries depend on American technology, American businesses and the American military, while at the same time European political leaders love to bash the United States.”

European concerns extend beyond satellite communications. Bloomberg sources reported delays in delivering systems such as Patriot interceptors and HIMARS launchers, while Ukraine suspected intelligence sharing had been restricted, allowing some Russian attacks to proceed without warning.

An EU spokesperson said the US Defense Department’s policy on intelligence sharing and other Ukraine-related capabilities had not changed. Still, the timing of the restrictions, along with a diesel agreement and a sanctions waiver for Russia, fueled concerns that Washington was pressuring Ukraine to strike a deal with Putin. Both Trump and Musk have previously called for Zelensky to step down.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has sought to increase investment in domestic defense firms amid tensions with the Trump administration, said the Starlink incident underscored the need to diversify suppliers. “We as Canadians do not want to be caught in a situation where we are reliant on one provider that may change their view, or may be forced to change their view by one nation state,” Carney stated. In Europe, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke with Putin about prospects for a peace deal in Ukraine, initiating the call in consultation with Kiev.

While Trump speaks of “tremendous progress” and expects a meeting between Putin and Zelensky next month, and Musk reiterates limits on offensive use, European officials are discussing ways to accelerate their capabilities. These include the planned IRIS² constellation, with first launches scheduled for 2029 and initial services expected from 2030. The system, comprising roughly 348 satellites, will not match Starlink’s scale of more than 10,000 satellites already in orbit, but is intended to provide sovereign communications for governments and armed forces.

Major European telecom operators, including Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone, and Telefónica, have explored forming a consortium to bid for direct-to-device satellite services, amid European Commission proposals to reserve a significant share of relevant frequencies for EU-based companies.

Temporary Starlink restrictions, public disagreements between Washington and Kiev, and Europe's continued dependence on American systems have intensified calls in the EU for greater technological autonomy. While officials acknowledge that fully independent satellite and defense capabilities will take years to develop, the recent spat between Trump and Zelensky has reinforced the view that Europe cannot indefinitely assume that access to critical US technologies is guaranteed.