Andrea Stroppa, Elon Musk's Italian
representative, on Tuesday blasted media coverage of reports
that were subsequently denied of an agreement between the
Italian government and the world's richest man's SpaceX company.
The premier's office on Monday denied that any contracts had
been signed or deals discussed when Giorgia Meloni paid a flying
visit to US President -elect Donald Trump in Florida at the
weekend, with Musk also present, describing such reports as
"ridiculous".
"You read the newspapers this morning, didn't you?," Stroppa
said via X.
"The tenor is 'Musk is a baddie, Meloni a sellout".
The opposition has accused Meloni of selling Italy cheaply and
jeopardising national security by handing over the management of
the government's telecoms security to Musk's Starlink satellite
system.
While Meloni's office emphatically denied the reports of a deal
with Musk, Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini
said such a deal would be a great opportunity for Italy, and
Musk said he was ready to provide Italy with enhanced
connectivity.
In a further statement Monday, Stroppa criticised Italy's
involvement in the European consortium for the Ariane 6
launcher, saying Rome had paid 500 million euros and has only a
3.4% stake.
He said the system was "born old" and was dogged by technical
problems.
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