'Be Quiet, Small Man': Polish Foreign Minister Mocks Elon Musk Amid Feud With Trump Over Starlink Funding

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski reignited a months-old war of words with Elon Musk on Thursday, June 5, amid the billionaire’s latest clash with Donald Trump to deliver a cutting remark.

In a critical post on X (formerly Twitter), Sikorski wrote, “See, big man, politics is harder than you thought,” referencing Musk’s very public fallout with the US President.

The jab was a pointed callback to a fiery March exchange between the Polish minister and the Tesla CEO over the Starlink satellite network’s role in the Ukraine war.

Have a look at their X posts here:

Tensions between Musk and Trump hit a boiling point this week when Trump reportedly threatened to sever federal contracts with companies linked to Musk, according to Reuters. In retaliation, Musk called for Trump’s impeachment in a post on X.

Seizing the moment, Sikorski resurfaced their previous spat. In March, he had questioned Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink, saying Poland’s Digital Affairs Ministry was covering roughly $50 million annually to maintain the service. “If SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider, we will be forced to look for other suppliers,” he had warned.

In a dismissive retort, Musk had belittled the contribution. “Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink,” he had said on X.

The original argument stemmed from Musk’s comments urging a halt to the war in Ukraine, wherein he had said, “Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.” He lamented the ongoing conflict as a “meat grinder” in a controversial post that sparked backlash.

So far, Musk has not responded to Sikorski’s latest taunt.

Published on: Friday, June 06, 2025, 01:28 PM IST