Elon Musk wants to help Donald Trump return to the White House. Now there is an explosive report about alleged contacts with the Kremlin.
Tech billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk is said to have had regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the end of 2022. This is reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing several current and former government officials from the USA, Europe and Russia. The conversations between Musk and Putin covered geopolitical, business and personal topics.
Musk is silent and tweets about Trump
So far, the extremely wealthy entrepreneur has remained silent about the revelation. He initially did not respond to previous questions from the “WSJ”. Instead, he posted further posts in support of former President Donald Trump on his online platform X, through which he regularly spreads right-wing conservative positions. Two years ago, Musk explicitly denied a report about alleged contact with Putin.
The exchange actually took place and lasted until this year, the newspaper said, citing a current and a former secret service official. Musk was once asked by Putin not to activate his Starlink satellite communications system in Taiwan, two informed people are said to have told the WSJ. In doing so, Putin wanted to do Chinese leader Xi Jinping a favor, who claims control over Taiwan and is supporting Putin in his war of aggression against Ukraine.
Elon Musk receives confidential information
Musk is, among other things, head of the electric car manufacturer Tesla and the space company SpaceX. His Tesla shares in particular make him the richest person in the world. SpaceX currently plays a key role in the US space program – both civil and military. That’s why Musk also receives confidential information.
After Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, SpaceX equipped the Ukrainian armed forces with Starlink terminals to replace the cellular infrastructure destroyed by Russian troops. The US Department of Defense now has a contract with SpaceX for this.
No Starlink for Ukraine
Musk’s biography states that he wanted to prevent a Ukrainian attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Musk had therefore turned down the Ukrainian request to activate Starlink in the area – and justified this with fear of a military escalation with nuclear weapons.
Republican presidential candidate Trump has promised to entrust Musk with heading a committee that would scrutinize US government spending if he wins the election on November 5th. There could be conflicts of interest because SpaceX is a US government contractor and Tesla is dependent on the decisions of US regulators. At the same time, Musk’s electric car manufacturer is the focus of several investigations.