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As the conflict between the government and the head of state deepens and undermines the once ironclad support of its war-torn neighbor, a Polish deputy prime minister said, access for Ukraine to Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink could be slashed as a result of the president’s veto of a refugee aid bill.

In an effort to retaliate against the Russian forces, Poland pays for Ukraine to use Starlink, a crucial internet service provider for the country and its military.

Karol Nawrocki, the president of Poland, vetoed a bill that would provide for Ukrainian refugees’ future access to child benefits and healthcare on Monday.

Krzysztof Gawkowski, the deputy prime minister and head of digital affairs, claimed that Starlink’s agreement also provided the legal foundation for its operation in Ukraine.

He wrote on X that “Starlink internet is no longer available to Ukraine as it goes to war.”

The veto was criticized by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a centrist. However, his government is unable to obtain the necessary two-thirds of the parliament.

“Especially not innocent children, we cannot punish people for losing their jobs,” he said. Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bak, the minister of labor, wrote on X, “This is the ABC of human decency.”

Gawkowski argued that Ukraine’s use of Starlink was threatened by Nawrocki’s veto.

“We want to keep paying for Ukraine’s internet through satellite. Unfortunately, the president’s disastrous choice has added a lot of complexity, and we will need to let our partners know when this support will end, he told the PAP news agency.

However, a spokesperson for Nawrocki confirmed to Reuters that a basis for Starlink’s payment could still be reinstated if a bill introduced by the president is approved by parliament by the end of the month.

Around one million refugees have settled in Poland’s neighbor since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They are mostly children and women.

Poland is a significant transit point for Western aid and a key supporter of Ukraine, but attitudes toward Ukrainians have changed.

Nawrocki, a steadfast nationalist, had promised to reduce Ukrainians’ social security benefits in the run-up to his June 1 election victory.

Nawrocki, who took office this month, told reporters on Monday, “I will not change my mind, and I think this aid should only be available to Ukrainians who are committed to working in Poland.”

Nawrocki added that, unlike now, Ukrainians who do not work in Poland should not be able to receive free medical care.

He said, “This places us in a situation where Polish citizens are treated less favorably than our Ukrainian guests.”

According to Gawkowski, Poland purchased and subscribed to Starlink systems for Ukraine between 2022 and 2024 for a total of 77 million euros ($90 million).

Ukrainians in Poland will be considered for the potential effects of the move, according to a Ukrainian diplomatic source who told Reuters.

If their children attend Polish schools, they are currently eligible for the monthly family benefit of 800 zlotys ($218) per child. Germany and other EU nations have recently made proposals to reduce benefits.

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a former kingpin of Mexico, has admitted guilt to the charges of his decades-long involvement in the violent and infamous Sinaloa cartel and its role in the US’s drug influx, including cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.

Zambada, the alleged co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, admitted guilt on Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, to charges of racketeering and running a persistent criminal organization that prosecutors claimed was responsible for the import and distribution of sizable quantities of drugs.

His decades-long leadership of the Sinaloa cartel, along with Colorado’s maximum security prisoner Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently serving a life sentence, contributed to those accusations.

After the US Justice Department announced this month that it would not seek the death penalty for him or for Rafael Caro Quintero, another septuagenarian alleged Mexican drug lord facing US charges, Zambada agreed to enter a guilty plea.

Through a Spanish-language interpreter, he said, “I recognize the serious harm that illegal drugs have caused to the people of the United States and Mexico.” I apologize for everything and accept accountability for my actions.

Zambada pleaded guilty, describing the scope of the Sinaloa operation as well as the undercover agents who established relationships with Colombian cocaine producers and oversaw the smuggling of the drug across the US and the importation of the drug by boat and plane. border with Mexico

He also acknowledged that employees of him paid bribes to Mexican military and police officers “so they could operate freely,” dating back to when the cartel was just beginning to exist.

After the plane they were traveling touched down in New Mexico and landed alongside Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of Joaquin Guzman’s sons, in July 2024, Zambada was detained. The Guzman family lawyer has refuted the claim that Zambada’s lawyer claimed Guzman Lopez kidnapped her.

Guzman Lopez has entered a not-guilty plea to charges of trafficking in marijuana in the US. If found guilty, US prosecutors have stated that they will not seek his death.

In response to US President Donald Trump’s increasing pressure on Mexico to dismantle the country’s powerful drug organizations, Mexico sent more than 20 suspected cartel members to the US this month. Mexico has claimed that the US Justice Department has given it assurances against seeking the death penalty.