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Elon Musk has asked to meet Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella, amid growing doubts in Rome about a potential $1.5bn deal with Starlink, the multi-billionaire’s internet satellite provider.
Musk wrote on X late on Saturday that it “would be an honour to speak with President Matterella”, in a bid to salvage a deal that has faced opposition as geopolitical turbulence between the US and Europe intensifies.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has been in talks with Starlink over a potential five-year deal for secure military communications for diplomats, troops and other Italian civil servants working abroad.
Meloni, who has forged a strong personal bond with Musk, said in early January that talks were still at the “preliminary stage,” but defended the necessity of a potential deal saying there was “no public alternative” to meet Italy’s secure communication needs.
Yet the deal now looks increasingly likely to be a casualty of a transatlantic rift over defence, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Musk has also repeatedly said on X that the US should leave the Nato security alliance.
Musk’s remarks followed a claim by a right-wing social media influencer allied with the multi-billionaire that Mattarella was personally obstructing the deal.
The Italian president, who wields strong moral authority as head of state, has not made any public comment on the Starlink deal or the choices facing Italy as it seeks to enlist a satellite-based internet provider.
But he rebuked Musk last year for intervening in Italy’s internal politics, after the multi-billionaire demanded the removal of Italian judges that had ruled against one of Meloni’s flagship initiatives to deter illegal migrants.
A spokesman for Mattarella said on Sunday said that the president, currently en route to Italy after an official visit to Japan, had no immediate comment.
Rome has begun to more actively consider alternatives to Starlink for critical services as fierce domestic political controversy to the deal has mounted.
Industry minister Adolfo Urso said last month that the government was working to develop a domestic provider. Last week, Eva Berneke, chief executive of Eutelsat, confirmed the Franco-British owner of Starlink rival OneWeb, has also begun talks with Rome.
News of the government’s exploratory talks with Eutelsat prompted an attack from the far-right League led by deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, who is an admirer of both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“In the Italian national interest it would be strange to choose a French entity . . . instead of a more technically developed and cutting edge system like the American one,” the League said in a statement late last week.
“In a delicate phase like this, every choice must be made in the name of the Italian national interest without ideological prejudices, considering the USA an essential partner for the security and growth of our country,” the statement added.
Musk last week separately thanked Salvini’s League for its support.
While Meloni has made no public comment on the debate since January, her office has said that any decision would be made “in full compliance with institutional procedures and with the utmost transparency”.
Italy’s left-wing opposition parties also tried last week to amend a pending space bill to restrict Rome to procuring satellite communication services exclusively from EU-based companies.
The amendments were rejected by a vote in parliament, where Meloni’s right-wing party enjoys a comfortable majority, but highlighted the growing furore around the already controversial Starlink talks, which has also drawn criticism from members of the European parliament.
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