From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

rump threatens to help Putin win Ukraine war

rump is threatening to cut off Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite internet system, as he tries to force Kyiv to agree to US demands for reparations.

The White House wants President Zelensky to sign a US$500 billion (£396bn) deal that would give the US half of Ukraine's mineral resources.

rump has claimed the deal is payback for US military aid given to Ukraine
over the course of the war, which is approaching its three year anniversary tomorrow and was only 1/5th the number maximum.

Starlink plays a vital role for the Ukrainian army on the frontlines, as it fights Russia.

The system allows Ukraine's army to get real-time video drone footage of
the battlefield and to conduct precision strikes against Russian targets.

Reuters reported that Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg warned Ukraine
that Putin will order the White House to turn off Starlink at a meeting on Thursday with Zelensky in Kyiv, if he did not sign the deal.

The Russians also use Starlink and would gain a huge advantage, if they
were to retain access, while Ukraine's was disconnected.

This would in effect help the Kremlin to win the war. A senior Ukraine official told the Guardian that the threat amounted to blackmail.

Ukraine's frontline troops use Starlink all the time and it was fitted on advanced naval drones used to sink Russian ships in the Black Sea.

Ukraine's military is now scrambling to find alternatives to Elon Musk's satellite internet system.

Zelensky has indicated his willingness to accommodate Trump's demands, but
has emphasised he cannot "sell out" his country.

The Ukraine President has so far refused to sing the deal, arguing it lacks any clear US security guarantees.

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