Poland’s presidential office on Tuesday rejected claims that President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of a refugee aid bill would cut off Ukraine’s Starlink internet, a key system for its war effort.
Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the presidential office, said the veto “does not cut Starlink for Ukraine,” stressing that the service remains funded under existing legislation. “You should fight manipulation and disinformation online, not create it,” he said in a statement directed at critics.
His remarks came after Digitalization Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski accused Nawrocki of “turning off Ukraine’s internet” by rejecting a bill that extended temporary protection and social benefits for Ukrainian refugees.
Gawkowski warned the decision would mean “the end of Starlink internet that Poland provides to Ukraine” and called it a “gift to Putin’s troops.”
The blocked bill, passed by the pro-EU government, would have extended temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees in Poland until March 2026 and maintained social benefits such as the 800+ program (800 PLN, or $220 per child per month) and free healthcare.
Nawrocki argued that such benefits should be available only to Ukrainians legally employed in Poland. Nearly 80% of Ukrainians in Poland work legally, contributing more in taxes than they receive in aid.
In recent months, several European countries have scaled back refugee support. Germany lowered social benefits for new arrivals starting April, Slovakia cut the length of stay in shelters and financial aid, and the Czech Republic reduced free humanitarian housing for refugees from five to three months.
Poland finances Starlink for Ukraine through its Ministry of Digitalization, spending about $50 million a year. In March, SpaceX founder Elon Musk called the system the “backbone of the Ukrainian army,” warning that “the entire front would collapse if I turned it off.”