The European satellite operator Eutelsat is currently unable to fully replace Starlink in Ukraine.

This is reported by Politico.

"If we had to take on all the communication capacity for Ukraine, we would not be able to do so," said CEO Eva Berneke. "However, we can meet key government needs."

Currently, Starlink provides critical communication for military forces, hospitals, and government agencies. In March, Elon Musk warned that "the entire frontline would collapse" if he shut down Starlink in Ukraine.

The European Union is exploring options to diversify access to satellite communication, including through Eutelsat. However, the company acknowledges that it cannot completely replace Musk's system at this time.

According to Eva, the current dependence on Starlink can be resolved "at the White House or at [Trump's private residence] Mar-a-Lago."

The main issue is the lack of investment in low Earth orbit satellites. They provide fast communication with minimal latency, which is critical for the military and drones.

Starlink has over 7,000 satellites, while Eutelsat has only 600. "I don't think we need to approach that number, but you could consider having at least a couple of thousand… to have a backup in critical areas," added Berneke.

She also emphasized: "The last few weeks have shown that to ensure military and government communication, multiple sources are needed."

The company is currently in negotiations with the EU for funding new satellite launches and increasing the number of terminals for users in Ukraine.

Also read: Satellite blackmail: what happens if Starlink is turned off in Ukraine

As a reminder:

The German government has been paying for Ukraine's access to satellite internet from Eutelsat for about a year, which also owns the OneWeb network.

Eutelsat has stated that it is in talks with European governments to provide additional satellite communication in Ukraine, as investors believe that the French operator could replace Elon Musk's Starlink in the country.