Elon Musk in Regular Contact with Putin for Two Years, Reports Suggest

russia, taiwan, ukraine, united states - Tech billionaire Elon Musk has reportedly been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022, according to recent reports.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has reportedly been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. Musk has not responded to requests for comment from the business newspaper or on his social network 'X'. He has been known to share radical-right views and express support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on his X profile.

Two years ago, Musk denied reports of any contact with Putin, but recent reports indicate otherwise. The two have reportedly been in contact even this year. Putin allegedly asked Musk not to activate his Starlink satellites in Taiwan as a favor to Chinese President Xi Jinping. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and supports Putin in his conflict with Ukraine.

During the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Musk activated his Starlink satellites to provide internet to Ukraine after Russian attacks disrupted services. The U.S. Department of Defense has since signed a contract with SpaceX for this purpose.

While Musk declined a Ukrainian request to activate Starlink in Crimea for fear of military escalation involving nuclear weapons, Putin has used the nuclear weapon argument to deter further Western involvement in Ukraine. Elon Musk, owner of X, CEO of Tesla, and head of SpaceX, is one of the world's richest individuals, primarily due to his Tesla shares. SpaceX plays a crucial role in the U.S. space program.

In his campaign, Trump has indicated plans to include Musk in his government if he wins the November 5 elections.