Polish FM Sikorski rebuts Musk claim that Ukrainian elites got rich on US aid

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has publicly rebutted a claim by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk that Ukraine's elites have grown rich on aid from the United States.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, Musk wrote on X that there was a huge gap between the motives of Ukraine's ruling elite and its ordinary citizens, and alleged that those in power had "become very wealthy" off hundreds of billions of dollars in aid from American taxpayers. He also suggested that part of that money might be finding its way back to the United States through money-laundering schemes to finance political campaigns. These were Musk's own assertions, and he did not present evidence for them.

Sikorski replied: "No, Elon, the U.S. stopped funding Ukraine last year. In fact, U.S. companies make money on American weapons for which we Europeans pay. The more you meddle in our politics and the more you play politics with your products, the more you damage your brand."

As LIGA.net explained, under the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) programme launched in 2025, NATO member countries pay for the American weapons they buy for Ukraine's defence.

It is not the first clash between the two. On October 14, after reports that Starlink had imposed speed limits on Ukrainian military users, Sikorski accused Musk of using his products for political purposes. In March 2025, when Musk threatened to shut down Starlink, Sikorski also came to Ukraine's defence and the two traded sharp words on X. According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. President Donald Trump recently called Musk personally and asked him to restore full Starlink service across Ukraine.

Interfax-Ukraine also reported that ABC News correspondent James Longman, citing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the current performance of Starlink terminals is still insufficient to operate Ukraine's defensive drones.

Mongolian users have been translating and sharing the exchange on X.