Elon Musk has been in secret talks with Vladimir Putin since 2022 - WSJ
Kyiv • UNN
The Wall Street Journal reports on Elon Musk's regular contacts with Putin since 2022. The billionaire discusses business and geopolitics with the Kremlin, including Starlink and Ukraine.
Trump-backed billionaire allegedly defended some Russian targets in the war in Ukraine after talking to the Kremlin.
Written by UNN with reference to The Wall Street Journal.
Details
The contacts between Elon Musk, a famous billionaire and one of the pillars of US space activities, and Russian dictator Putin have been confirmed by several current and former US, European and Russian officials, the publication writes. The article points to discussions between Putin and Musk related to business and geopolitical tensions. For example, in one of the conversations, Putin asked Musk not to activate the Starlink satellite Internet service over Taiwan to do a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The rapprochement between Musk and Putin may indicate a potential resumption of US diplomatic cooperation with Russia under Trump's presidency, the newspaper notes.
Starlink has become a key driver of communications in Ukraine, during the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Last year, it was revealed that the billionaire had turned down a request in 2022 for its Starlink communications satellites to facilitate Ukraine's attack on the Russian navy in the Black Sea.
‘We received an urgent request from government authorities to activate Starlink to Sevastopol. The obvious intention was to sink most of the docked Russian fleet. If I had accepted their request, SpaceX would have been a clear accomplice in a major war and escalation of the conflict,’ the businessman wrote.
Moreover, in May 2022, the head of Russia's space agency said in a Telegram post that Musk would ‘answer like an adult’ for supplying Starlink to Ukraine's Azov battalion. Musk subsequently had regular conversations with Russian ‘partners.’ After that, Musk began reporting positions closer to those of Russia. In particular, he began complaining that SpaceX was losing money and that his company was losing financial terminals in Ukraine.
Thus, Musk became more critical of helping Ukraine fight Russian aggression.
At present, the WSJ concludes, the rapprochement between Musk and Kremlin officials may indicate a potential restoration of U.S. diplomatic engagement with Russia, already under a Trump presidency.
Help
Musk, who is being offered a position in Trump's government if the Republican wins, owns SpaceX, a major rocket manufacturer for the Pentagon and NASA. As a result, he has access to confidential U.S. information, which means that his possible contact with Putin raises concerns about the protection of sensitive information, given Putin's role as one of the main adversaries of the United States.
According to the investigation, since 2022, Musk has established an ongoing dialogue with high-ranking Russian officials, including Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin's first deputy chief of staff, whom the US Department of Justice accuses of spreading disinformation to weaken US support for Ukraine.
Recall
Donald Trump has said that if he wins the election , he will create a commission on government efficiency under the leadership of Elon Musk. The commission will audit the government and provide recommendations for reform.
