The German media does not spare bitter words against the American administration and Europe itself. The daily "Die Welt" writes directly in its Friday edition: "This is the last warning shot for Europe." "Europe is further away from strategic independence than Trump is from the Nobel Peace Prize - it cannot offer Ukraine any equivalent alternative to Starlinks," the daily notes, also pointing to the lack of European replacements for American Patriot missiles.
Commentators have no doubt that "Ukrainians are paying with their lives for the consequences of European ignorance and incompetence." "No sensible government should make its military and critical infrastructure dependent on American systems such as Starlink or Palantir. Either we develop our own capabilities quickly or we will sink to the bottom in the new world order," warns "Die Welt".
"Whoever has friends like this doesn't need enemies"
"Tageszeitung" ("TAZ") speaks in a similar tone and appeals: "Let's end dependence." The newspaper emphasizes that the United States is making it difficult for Ukraine to conduct a defensive war, and Europe should treat this as a serious warning. “The EU must finally build its own defense system,” we read in the commentary. "Whoever has such friends does not need enemies," says "TAZ".
The daily points out that the Russian army is ruthlessly exploiting the deficiencies in Ukrainian air defense by attacking critical infrastructure, homes, schools and digital centers. "The Russian army's dirty work is made easier not only by the lack of missiles for the Patriots, but also by limited access to the Starshield system - the military version of the Starlink service of SpaceX, owned by American billionaire Elon Musk."
Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, claims that he has no influence on limiting access to the Starshield system, and its management is the responsibility of the US administration. German media emphasize that this is the "last alarm bell" for the European Union and NATO countries. "Europeans must quickly become independent from American technology concerns and build their own satellite system," appeals "TAZ."
"Sueddeutsche Zeitung" quotes the entry of the head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski: "Hey, important person. Are you playing politics with your products again?" The newspaper notes that the situation shows the huge scale of Ukraine's dependence on Starlink and the USA, and "Europeans are, apparently, helpless in a situation when Trump and Musk are manipulating the dials to Russia's advantage."
Despite awareness of the problem, little has been done so far to break Musk's monopoly. "European countries are planning an alternative to Starlinks, but the launch of the European satellite system has been postponed until 2029," reports "SZ". This means that in the coming years Europe will remain dependent on American solutions, which - according to commentators - is a serious threat to the security of the continent.
Technology as a weapon against allies
The weekly Die Zeit warns that Trump is ready to use technology as a weapon, even against allies. "With limited access to information from American services, Ukraine is largely defenseless, and European countries should not take comfort in the fact that American systems have started working again," we read in the commentary.
The StarShield system remains under the control of the US government. "In other words, a political decision was made to blind Ukraine at least temporarily," says Die Zeit, calling it "a terrible turning point in this war and transatlantic relations." "What Trump did to Zelensky could happen to all of us at any time," warns "SZ".
The weekly "Der Spiegel" has no doubt: Trump "betrayed Ukraine." The US president has been counting on a "big deal" with Putin for years, even though the Russian leader shows no interest in such an agreement. "Trump considers Putin his equal, and treats Zelensky and Europe as freeloaders," warns "Spiegel".
The newspaper appeals to European countries not to hand over their bargaining chip to the US - frozen Russian assets worth approximately EUR 210 billion. "This week's events are a warning for the entire continent. Europe must cope on its own. Kiev was hit today, but Berlin, Paris and Warsaw should not wait until their turn comes," sums up the "Spiegel" commentator.
“Superpower Suicide” – Timothy Snyder on Trump's policy
American historian Timothy Snyder, writing in "Sueddeutsche Zeitung", leaves no doubt as to the motives of Donald Trump's actions. In his opinion, the US president abandoned Ukraine to cover up his own war with Iran. "This is no longer a political failure, but calculated suicide of a superpower," says Snyder.
The historian emphasizes that "the US president's war with Iran, resulting from his whim, is a strategic disaster." Snyder notes that "the United States has been forced to reduce its (military) presence in the Middle East and even withdraw strategic bombers from the United Kingdom, which would have been unthinkable not long ago."
In his opinion, Trump is fulfilling Putin's wishes by suspending arms deliveries to Ukraine and purchasing Russian diesel oil, blaming Kiev for high fuel prices. "Ukrainians risk their lives to refuel and Americans pay more at gas stations because Trump chose a devastating defeat in Iran instead of supporting Ukraine," says Snyder.
