Information about the contacts of the head of SpaceX with the Kremlin appears to be a closely guarded secret within the American government.
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and a businessman with access to a certain amount of classified information in the United States, has maintained regular contacts with Vladimir Putin since the end of 2022, according to a large investigation by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal. Several current and former officials from the US, Europe and Russia confirmed to the publication that the topics of regular contacts and discussions between Musk and the dictator include geopolitical issues, business and personal matters.
Danger to America
The contacts have raised national security concerns among some in the current administration, given Musk’s deep business ties to US military and intelligence agencies and his access to government secrets.
“They don’t like it,” the WSJ source said of the Musk-Putin contacts, but noted that the administration has not raised the alarm about possible security breaches by the SpaceX chief.
The Kremlin denied reports of Putin’s talks with Musk. “No, it’s not true. That is, it is completely false information published in The Wall Street Journal,” said Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
Starlink asked
Following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, Musk initially strongly supported Ukraine. After Russia damaged the Ukrainian communications system, his company SpaceX sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine, providing free Internet access to areas devastated by Russian attacks.
Starlink is critical to the Ukrainian military, but by the end of 2022, Musk has informed the Pentagon that SpaceX will no longer be able to pay for Starlink in Ukraine and will stop delivering new terminals.
As journalist Walter Isaacson wrote in his autobiographical book about Elon Musk, in 2022, the billionaire secretly ordered Starlink off the coast of Crimea, allegedly to prevent an upcoming sneak attack by Ukrainian underwater drones to the Russian navy in Crimea.
The Wall Street Journal, citing its sources, writes that in 2022, Musk regularly communicated with “high-ranking Russian officials,” and that the Kremlin at that time exerted pressure in Musk’s business and made “veiled threats against him.”
The Russian dictator asked Musk not to activate the Starlink satellite Internet service in Taiwan as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. Starlink never received permission to provide internet service in Taiwan, where the government places restrictions on non-Taiwanese satellite operators. Taiwan is currently listed on the Starlink map as an “upcoming” location.
The Trump factor
A current and a former intelligence source told the WSJ that Musk and Putin have continued to talk this year, as the billionaire began criticizing continued US military aid to Ukraine and actively participating in the election campaign of Trump.
“Musk has been a major supporter of Donald Trump’s re-election campaign this year and could find a role in the Trump administration if he wins. While the US and its allies have isolated Putin in recent years, the Musk’s conversation (with the dictator) could indicate renewed contact with the Russian leader and reinforce Trump’s expressed desire to reach an agreement on major fault lines such as the war in Ukraine — WSJ wrote.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.