WARSAW, March 9 (Reuters) - Poland, which pays for

Ukraine's Starlink internet services, may seek an alternative if

Elon Musk's company proves to be "unreliable", the foreign

minister said on Sunday after the billionaire speculated about

turning off access to the system.

Starlink provides crucial internet connectivity to Ukraine

and its military. U.S. negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to

Ukraine's critical minerals have raised the possibility of

cutting the country's access to the service, sources familiar

with the matter told Reuters in February.

Musk, a high-profile figure in the administration of U.S.

President Donald Trump, said in a post on his X social media

platform on Sunday, that Ukraine's "entire front line would

collapse if I turned it (Starlink) off".

He said he was "sickened by ... years of slaughter in a

stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose".

The U.S. government has already revoked some access to

satellite imagery for Ukraine and paused intelligence sharing,

piling pressure on Kyiv as Trump seeks a swift end to the war,

now in its fourth year after Russia's full-scale invasion in

February 2022.

"Starlinks for Ukraine are paid for by the Polish

Digitization Ministry at the cost of about $50 million per

year," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on X.

"The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart,

if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced

to look for other suppliers."

Starlink's parent company SpaceX did not immediately reply

to an emailed request for comment outside normal business hours.

Shares in Franco-British satellite operator Eutelsat

soared as much as 650% during the week ending March 7,

due to speculation the company could replace Starlink in

providing internet access to Ukraine.

The shares pulled back on Friday to end the week up around

380%.

Poland said in February that it would continue to cover

Ukraine's Starlink subscription despite sources saying the U.S.

could consider cutting it.