The US Department of Defence has signed a contract with billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company to purchase Starlink satellite communication terminals for Ukraine and services for use by the Ukrainian military.

Source: European Pravda, referring to Bloomberg

Details: The Pentagon statement notes that satellite communication is "a vital layer in Ukraine’s overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type".

Quote: "However, for operational security reasons and due to the critical nature of these systems, we do not have additional information regarding specific capabilities, contracts, or partners to provide at this time," the Pentagon said in a statement.

More details: The US Department of Defence emphasised that it continues to work with a number of global partners to "to ensure Ukraine has the resilient satellite and communication capabilities they need".

As Bloomberg notes, the Starlink terminals are likely to be purchased within the framework of the Ukraine Security Promotion Initiative, which provides for the long-term security needs of Kyiv.

Background: In the autumn, it became known that Elon Musk's company SpaceX turned to the Pentagon with a request to take over the financing of the Starlink satellite communication systems in Ukraine, which are essential for the Ukrainian military to communicate in the combat zone. At the time, the Pentagon confirmed that they were discussing the financing of Starlink in Ukraine after Musk's appeal. 

Then the American billionaire retracted his words and declared he would continue financing Starlink in Ukraine. But the Pentagon decided to find a way to keep Starlink working or a suitable backup option in Ukraine for the foreseeable future.

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