Here’s a look at Musk’s contact with Putin and why it matters / AP News

By DAVID KLEPPER and LISA MASCARO Updated 5:35 PM EDT, October 25, 2024

  • Musk-Putin Contacts: Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the past two years, discussing personal matters, business, and geopolitics.
  • National Security Concerns: Musk’s interactions with Putin raise national security questions due to his companies’ government contracts and his influence in American politics.
  • Starlink Request: Putin reportedly asked Musk not to activate Starlink over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
  • Political Implications: Musk’s relationship with Trump and his influence on the platform X have made him a significant figure in American right-wing politics.

Musk has dumped millions of dollars into Trump’s presidential bid and turned X/Twitter1 into a Trump Propaganda Machine and a safe haven for conspiracy theorists, extremists, and Russian propagandists.

Musk and Putin have spoken repeatedly about personal matters, business and geopolitics, The Journal reported Thursday, citing multiple current and former officials in the U.S., Europe and Russia.

During one talk, Putin asked Musk not to activate his Starlink satellite system over Taiwan as a favor for Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose ties to Putin have grown closer.2

Musk’s relationship with Putin raises national security questions given the billions of dollars in government contracts awarded to SpaceX, a critical partner to NASA and government satellite programs.

Trump also has vowed to give Musk a role in his administration if he wins next month.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said it’s unusual for business leaders to be in contact with Putin without informing U.S. authorities. While CEOs may often interact with foreign leaders, Putin stands apart, given his invasion of Ukraine, McFaul said.

“He’s a war criminal who is slaughtering civilians. That makes this wrong in my view,” McFaul said of Musk’s talks with Putin. “You have to decide what team you are on. Are you on the American team or are you on the Russian team?”

The request from Putin on Starlink as a favor to China is likely to get attention, given U.S. support for Taiwan and concerns about the growing partnership between the Kremlin and Beijing.

Musk, whose Tesla operates Gigafactory Shanghai, has developed a close relationship with China’s leaders. His remarks about China have been friendly, and he has suggested Taiwan cede some control to Beijing by becoming a special administrative region.

Moscow has growing ties to other American adversaries. The U.S. has accused Russia of sending ballistic missiles to Iran and said North Korea sent troops to Russia, possibly for combat in Ukraine.

On Ukraine, Musk’s views have shifted since he initially supported Kyiv following Russia’s 2022 invasion and provided it with his Starlink system for communications.

Musk then refused to allow Ukraine in 2023 to use Starlink for a surprise attack on Russian soldiers in Crimea.3

He also floated a peace proposal that would have required Ukraine to drop plans for NATO membership and given Russia permanent control of Crimea, which it seized in 2014. The plan infuriated Ukrainian leaders.4

The timing of the calls reported by The Journal and Musk’s changing views on Ukraine was a “disturbing coincidence,” said Bradley Bowman, a former West Point assistant professor who is now senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank.

  1. @RalphHightower: Musk paid a hefty premium over X/Twitter’s value. Corporations have pulled their advertising dollars from X/Twitter since it became a cesspool of antisemitism, bigotry, and hate speech. X/Twitter is now one-fifth the value that Musk paid for it ↩

  2. @RalphHightower: Russia has become increasingly isolated due to its war to forcibly annex Ukraine. ↩

  3. @RalphHightower: It’s war! Russia attacked Ukraine. Why can’t Ukraine attack Crimea? ↩

  4. @RalphHightower: Musk is venturing into diplomacy between nations, and area that has been reserved for nations. What’s in it for Musk? ↩