...

Logo Yotel Air CDG
in partnership with
Logo Nextory

Polish president vetoes bill to extend support for Ukraine's Starlink

• Aug 26, 2025, 2:20 PM
8 min de lecture
1

Poland's President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a bill on Monday to extend the existing support package for Ukraine, saying Warsaw will not be able to continue paying for Kyiv's access to the Starlink network.

That means Polish funding to keep Ukraine connected to the internet via Starlink will stop on 1 October, potentially cutting off frontline troops from access to real-time information.

Poland has supported Ukraine's internet access via Starlink since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in early 2022, and the loss of this lifeline service is expected to be a massive blow to Ukrainian troops.

"Presidential vetoes are cutting blindly. Karol Nawrocki turns off the Internet in Ukraine with his decision, because de facto it means his decision on the law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens," Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski wrote in a post on X.

"This is the end of the Starlink Internet, which Poland provides to Ukraine. This is also the end of support for storing Ukrainian administration data in a safe place."

Poland's President Karol Nawrocki speaks at an official ceremony to assume command of the Armed Forces in Warsaw, 6 August, 2025
Poland's President Karol Nawrocki speaks at an official ceremony to assume command of the Armed Forces in Warsaw, 6 August, 2025 AP Photo

Nawrocki's veto

Monday's veto will affect benefits Ukrainian refugees living in Poland receive from the state, as well as limiting their access to child benefits and healthcare.

Poland is home to around 1 million refugees who fled Russia's war in Ukraine, the majority of them women and children.

"We remain open to providing assistance to Ukrainian citizens – that hasn't changed," Nawrocki said.

"But after three and a half years, our law should be amended."

Nawrocki, a conservative who campaigned on a pledge to overhaul funding for Ukrainian refugees, took office on 6 August.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticised the veto, but his government does not have the two-thirds majority needed in parliament to counter the veto.

"We cannot punish people for losing their job – particularly not innocent children. This is the ABC of human decency," Labour Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bak said in an X post.

And the interior ministry said on Tuesday that Nawrocki's veto could create 8 billion zlotys (€1.89 billion) in additional costs and require the national budget to be amended.

Refugees who fled the war in Ukraine rest at a centre at the Medyka border crossing, 15 March, 2022
Refugees who fled the war in Ukraine rest at a centre at the Medyka border crossing, 15 March, 2022 AP Photo

Support for Nawrocki

But not everyone in Poland's political sphere has voiced opposition to Nawrocki's cutting of some funding for Ukrainians.

The leader of the far-right Konfederacja party welcomed the decision to stop Starlink funding, saying in a post on X, "If Ukraine wants to have Starlink, let it pay for it."

Poland has been one of the most welcoming countries in Europe for refugees from Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

The country currently hosts the most Ukrainian refugees of any country in Europe, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

The Polish government has traditionally also been a staunch supporter of Ukraine's war effort.

Recruits practice military skills on a training ground in a sunflower field in the Zaporizhzhia region, 25 August, 2025
Recruits practice military skills on a training ground in a sunflower field in the Zaporizhzhia region, 25 August, 2025 AP Photo

Total support to Ukraine from Warsaw totals approximately €3.3 billion, in both military and humanitarian assistance.

But as Moscow's war grinds on, anti-Ukrainian sentiment has been increasing, despite data showing that the influx of Ukrainians has brought benefits to Poland’s economy.

A study by Poland’s National Development Bank earlier this year showed Ukrainian refugees had paid more in taxes than they had received in benefits.

But a Flash Eurobarometer survey conducted last year found that support for people fleeing the war in Ukraine had a noticeably lower level of support in Poland, with around 60% of respondents favouring state support.

This decline in Poland's support indicates "a worrisome war fatigue in the country that has been on the frontline throughout," according to Eurofound research.


Today

European and Iranian diplomats fail to agree on how to avoid reviving UN sanctions
• 6:16 PM
7 min
The Europeans’ concern over Iran's nuclear programme has only grown since Tehran cut off all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/26/euro
Read the article
German authorities charge Afghan suspect in Munich car ramming attack that killed two
• 5:39 PM
3 min
Federal prosecutors said in a statement that on the morning of 13 February, the suspect "deliberately drove his car" into the union event in downtown Munich.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/08
Read the article
Evacuations under way in eastern Pakistan as India releases water from swollen rivers
• 4:22 PM
6 min
The move came a day after New Delhi alerted Islamabad about possible cross-border flooding, marking the first public diplomatic contact between the two nuclear-armed rivals in months.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https:
Read the article
Latest news bulletin | August 26th, 2025 – Evening
• 4:00 PM
1 min
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this August 26th, 2025 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https:/
Read the article
Flashbang grenade injures Polish soldier in Belarus border migrant clash
• 2:43 PM
1 min
Poland has faced a migration crisis at its Belarus border since 2021, with Warsaw accusing Minsk of using thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East in a hybrid warfare operation, luring them with false promises of EU access.<div class="small-1
Read the article
Polish president vetoes bill to extend support for Ukraine's Starlink
• 2:20 PM
8 min
Monday's veto will also affect benefits Ukrainian refugees living in Poland receive from the state, as well as limiting their access to child benefits and healthcare.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.co
Read the article
Israeli protesters demand ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza war
• 1:16 PM
1 min
Protesters across Israel blocked highways with burning tyres on Tuesday, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secure a deal to release hostages in Gaza.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/
Read the article
Reform UK chief Nigel Farage says party will mass deport migrants if it wins election
• 1:09 PM
8 min
Despite holding just four of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, the Reform party has gained momentum by seizing on public frustration over successive governments' inability to bring down the number of migrants coming by boat.<div class="small-12 colum
Read the article
Ukraine knocks out 17% of Russia's oil refining capacity, creating shortages and disrupting exports
• 1:06 PM
3 min
Ukraine has significantly intensified its attacks against Russia's energy sector over the past few weeks, managing to disrupt oil refining capacity, weakening Moscow’s war economy.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://w
Read the article
France's far-left firebrand Melenchon calls for Macron's impeachment once more
• 11:39 AM
2 min
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of far-left party France Unbowed, said he will introduce a new motion to demand Emmanuel Macron's impeachment.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/26/frances-far-left
Read the article
Former labour union leader Inga Ruginienė becomes Lithuania's new prime minister
• 11:30 AM
6 min
Ruginienė, a former head of Lithuania’s labour union confederation, joined the centre-left Social Democratic Party just before a general election last year.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/
Read the article
France detains man after bodies in River Seine raise fears of 'homophobic' murders
• 10:56 AM
2 min
The bodies of four men were discovered in the river earlier this month in Choisy-Le-Roi, a southeastern suburb of the French capital.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/26/france-detains-man-a
Read the article
Smugglers in Bulgaria nearly kill 24 migrants who paid thousands to get into EU
• 10:36 AM
3 min
The 24 migrants from Afghanistan were found in a van in Lozenets, a village situated on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast and near the Turkish border.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/26/smugglers-
Read the article
Latest news bulletin | August 26th, 2025 – Midday
• 10:00 AM
1 min
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this August 26th, 2025 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https:/
Read the article
Biscuits recalled in parts of Spain due to possible metal contamination
• 8:50 AM
1 min
The recall applies to Fontaneda brand Pim's Orange Biscuits.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/news/2025/08/26/biscuits-recalled-in-parts-of-spain-due-to-possible-metal-contamination?utm_source=test_
Read the article
Australia accuses Iran of organising antisemitic attacks and expels ambassador
• 6:51 AM
2 min
The Australian government has cut diplomatic ties with Tehran and expelled its ambassador amid accusations the country organised two antisemitic attacks.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/26/
Read the article
French PM Bayrou risks cabinet collapse with confidence vote on major budget cuts
• 6:28 AM
2 min
Bayrou seeks a confidence vote for €43.8 billion budget cuts in early September, risking another cabinet collapse if opposition parties follow through on threats to vote against him.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https:/
Read the article
Latest news bulletin | August 26th, 2025 – Morning
• 5:00 AM
1 min
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this August 26th, 2025 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https:/
Read the article
Donald Trump says he hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un 'this year'
• 4:45 AM
4 min
"I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un. I hope it stays that way, I think it will," Trump told reporters at a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.c
Read the article
Trump says he'll fire Fed Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage loan allegations
• 3:11 AM
2 min
Last week, Lisa Cook emphasised she wouldn't leave her post after Trump called for her resignation on social media, linked to an accusation from one of his officials that she committed mortgage fraud.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button
Read the article
Israeli protesters block highways asking government to secure release of hostages in Gaza
• 12:26 AM
6 min
Responding to a call from Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum for a "National Day of Struggle," protesters waved banners that read "Hostage Deal Now".<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/
Read the article