Musk has maintained consistent communications with Putin since the year 2022, according to WSJ.
Elon Musk, a prominent figure in U.S. politics and a Trump supporter, allegedly maintains regular communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a news outlet report. This claim is backed by several current and former officials from the U.S., Europe, and Russia. The purported conversations involved a variety of topics, including geopolitical, business, and personal matters.
Musk did not provide a response to the publication's advance request for comment and initially chose to express his support for former President Donald Trump on his digital platform X, where he often shares right-wing conservative viewpoints. Two years prior, Musk refuted a different report alleging contacts with Putin.
Top-Secret Clearance
Despite Musk's denial, the contacts did reportedly continue into this year, according to the "Wall Street Journal," citing a current and a former intelligence official. In one instance, Putin allegedly requested Musk to refrain from activating the Starlink satellite communication system in Taiwan. Putin wanted to offer a favor to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who claims jurisdiction over Taiwan and supports Putin in his conflict against Ukraine.
Musk serves as the CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla and space company SpaceX, among others. His Tesla shares make him the wealthiest individual globally. SpaceX plays a significant role in the U.S. space program, contributing to both the civilian and military sectors. As a result, Musk has clearance for classified information, which he confirmed in jest at a Trump rally, stating that the information was indeed confidential but tedious.
Following Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022, SpaceX provided Starlink terminals to the Ukrainian military to replace destroyed mobile phone infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Defense now has a contract with SpaceX for this service. Musk is reported to have thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to target the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean Peninsula by declining to activate Starlink in the area, citing concern of escalating the conflict with nuclear weapons.
Kremlin Affirms Space-Related Communication
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has pledged to hand over leadership of a committee scrutinizing U.S. government spending to Musk if he wins the November 5 elections. This could potentially create conflicts of interest, as SpaceX is a contractor for the U.S. government, while Tesla relies on U.S. regulatory decisions. Meanwhile, Tesla is under investigation by several authorities.
U.S. authorities are reportedly not pleased with this situation, according to the intelligence agency employee, citing Musk's interactions with Putin. However, the government has yet to detect any potential security breaches due to Musk's actions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed only a phone call between Musk and Putin, discussing "space and current and future technologies." Apart from that, neither Putin nor Kremlin officials reportedly had frequent conversations with Musk, according to Peskov.
Musk's alleged communications with Putin, as reported by several officials, have raised concerns among U.S. authorities, particularly in light of Musk's clearance for classified information and SpaceX's involvement in the U.S. space program. Despite Peskov's statement affirming a phone call between Musk and Putin over space-related topics, there have been no reports of frequent conversations between the two.
