Macron’s Defense Dream Is Getting Caught in Musk's Web
Can Europe credibly deter Russia without the support of the US military-industrial complex?
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meets France's President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels March 6.
Photographer: LUDOVIC MARIN/AFPItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is getting cold feet over a proposed €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, according to Bloomberg News. As well she might.
What seemed initially like a chance for Rome to build ties with the Trump administration and boost its technological expertise looks now like a threat to security and sovereignty as the US billionaire-industrial complex turns hostile on trade, NATO and Ukraine. In recent days, the US has paused intelligence-sharing with Kyiv as part of an arm-twisting exercise on natural resources and ceasefire talks; cutting off access to SpaceX’s satellite-communications network Starlink was also reportedly threatened, though this was denied by Musk.