WASHINGTON, October 15. /TASS/. The US understands the importance of providing the Ukrainian army with satellite communications, the Defense Department is currently studying specific options for such assistance, White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said on Friday, commenting on reports about SpaceX founder Ilon Musk's request to the Pentagon to pay for supplies of his company's Starlink network terminals to Kiev.

She stressed that the US authorities understood the importance of these facilities in order to have stable communications. According to her, the Pentagon was working with allies and partners to look at all options for how best to meet those Ukrainian needs. However, the spokeswoman pointed out that such questions should be adressed to the Defense Department.

As Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Sing previously said, the US Defense Department believed that the Starlink satellite communications system had alternatives in Ukraine, and Kiev was in talks with both SpaceX itself and other organizations.