Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Polish President's office Karol Nawrocki, denied claims that the presidential veto on the amendment to the aid law for Ukraine would lead to the shutdown of Starlink.
This is reported by Radio Liberty.
According to Bogucki, Nawrocki's veto does not turn off Starlink in Ukraine, as the costs are covered under the provisions of existing law, and the bill presented to the Polish Sejm maintains this status quo.
"This is sufficient for the effective processing of this presidential initiative in the Polish parliament in September. The same applies to the support for storing Ukrainian government data securely," he wrote on social media platform X.
Earlier, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization Krzysztof Gavkowski criticized Nawrocki for the veto, arguing it would lead to the disconnection of the Starlink service provided to Ukraine.
"Nawrocki's decision effectively cuts off internet (Starlink) in Ukraine, as it directly impacts the law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens. This means the end of Starlink internet that Poland provides to war-torn Ukraine. It also signifies the end of support for securely storing Ukrainian government data," he stated on social media platform X.
The publication notes that the possibility of using Starlink terminals in Ukraine emerged in late 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, as stated by Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov in April.
Nawrocki announced on Monday, August 25, that he had not signed the amendment to the law on assistance for Ukrainian citizens. The bill aimed to extend social benefits for refugees until March 2026.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized the veto, but his government lacks the two-thirds majority in parliament necessary to overturn this move.
Later, the spokesperson for Poland's Ministry of Digital Affairs Marek Georgica stated that from October 1, Poland would no longer be able to pay for the Starlink subscription for Ukraine due to the presidential veto.