Discussions between Italy’s far-right government and Elon Musk’s Space X over a secure communications system for defense and diplomatic purposes have been suspended, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.
“Everything has come to a standstill,” Crosetto told Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview published Saturday. There is currently “no [technical] discussion” about a possible deal to use the Starlink satellite system, he added.
The holdup is linked to the fact that the deal’s technical details have been overshadowed by statements “by and about” Musk, he said.
The polarizing figure of the tech billionaire who is a senior adviser to U.S. President Trump has been at the center of the political debate around the Starlink discussions in Italy.
Earlier this month, opposition parties called on the government to halt talks with Musk’s Space X after the tech titan threatened to turn off its communication system in Ukraine, where Starlink provides telecommunications essential to Kyiv’s forces as they try to fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion.
News of a possible Starlink deal was first announced in January following a visit by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to U.S. President Donald Trump’s residence in Florida.
Meloni has sought to maintain good relations with the Trump administration, while also developing a close relationship with Musk.
Crosetto said technical discussions would resume “when the controversies and the times have calmed down.”
“The question is, what is most useful and safe for the nation,” the minister said.
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