Tesla SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has reportedly been holding secret talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022 Report The Wall Street Journal published Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal cited “several current and former U.S., European and Russian officials” as saying the conversations between Putin and Musk, a Republican megadonor and Pentagon contractor, came as Russia launched a brutal war against Ukraine, a top U.S. ally. carried out at the time. Topics range from business, personal and geopolitical issues.
At one point, Putin pressured Musk to ask SpaceX to withdraw its powerful satellite network communications service Starlink from Taiwan as a favor to Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. Beijing is an important ally of the Kremlin. A military version of Starlink is called Star Shield.
in a speech Semaphore Conference In Washington, D.C., on Friday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said: “If reports that there have been multiple conversations between Elon Musk and the president of Russia are true, then I think that would be concerning, especially for NASA. and the Ministry of Defense, as well as some intelligence agencies. He also said that the matter “should be investigated.”
CNBC has not independently verified the conversations, which the Wall Street Journal said are “a closely guarded secret” even within the U.S. government.
But the report raises new questions about how Musk makes decisions at his company that affect geopolitics and national security, such as when and where to launch Starlink satellite communications technology. The issues extend to the way Musk runs Social Network X, which he owns and leads and serves as chief technology officer.
Musk has emerged as a major Republican donor this election cycle and one of the most influential supporters of former President Trump’s campaign.
On October 5, 2024, Butler, Pennsylvania, Musk hugged Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump at the Butler Farm Show rally.
Anna Money Tree | Getty Images
In September, Rep. Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House China Committee, returned from a visit to Taiwan with a congressional delegation and learned that the Star Shield system was not applicable to U.S. troops in and around the region. They sent a letter to SpaceX asking the company to launch it.
as NBC News previously reportedMusk and SpaceX said they are in full compliance with the Pentagon contract and denied the House’s claims. SpaceX then seeks majority stake in a Starlink-based business At the request of Taiwan, The island nation rejected the proposal, saying it was inconsistent with its laws.
Currently, the SpaceX website states that “the service date for Starlink to serve general customers in Taiwan is currently unknown.”
Musk and representatives for X, SpaceX and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For decades, Russia’s KGB and its successor agency, the Federal Security Service, have Control the media narrative and make as many people as possible aware of anti-Western or Pro-Kremlin news. The conversation between Musk and Putin, who once ran the KGB, reportedly took place while Musk was in the midst of his leveraged buyout and acquisition of Twitter.
SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Falcon 9 rocket is located at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, preparing for another launch attempt on September 9, 2024, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Joe Reddell | Getty Images
Musk is previously known to have had at least one direct discussion with Putin.
In 2022, Eurasia Group founder and political analyst Ian Bremmer wrote that Musk had spoken to Putin before the X owner released the news social media messages Early October about Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Musk has proposed that Ukraine should hand Crimea to Russia and that Kyiv should remain “neutral” rather than try to join NATO. He continues to promote the idea that some Ukrainian citizens would prefer to join Russia via X (formerly Twitter).
kremlin official Praise Musk Musk’s views at the time were sharply criticized by many others, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sen. Warren Musk. Lindsey GrahamR.S.C., and Russian-born human rights activist and former chess champion Garry Kasparov.
On October 27, Musk completed the acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion.
“I’ve only spoken to Putin once, and that was about 18 months ago,” Musk said at the time. “The theme is space.”
About a year later, in September 2023, Putin publicly praised Musk, calling him a “talented businessman.” Putin’s praise came after Musk said he rejected an urgent request from the Ukrainian government to expand SpaceX Starlink satellite coverage to Sevastopol, Crimea. Putin made the remarks at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, where he discussed Russia’s space program following its failed moon landing.
On March 8, 2023, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, Russia attacked the establishment of the Starlink satellite network system near the Ukrainian frontline town of Bakmut.
Liz Nissner | Reuters
Prior to this, Musk had been actively pursuing business with Russia for years at his companies SpaceX and Tesla.
“I’ve been to Russia three times trying to buy some of their biggest[intercontinental ballistic missiles],” Musk told an audience at the 2013 SXSW interactive conference, where he described the challenges of starting a reusable rocket business.
While the missile deal never materialized, SpaceX was partially funded by Russian tech giant Yuri Milnerwho has deep ties to Silicon Valley companies. SpaceX now regularly flies missions with NASA astronauts and astronauts from the Russian space agency Roscosmos, although such diplomatic cooperation is common in the aerospace industry.
Musk and SpaceX are credited with inspiring then-Republican House members to enact the Commercial Space Act. Dana Rohrabacher, passed in 2004, allows private companies to provide launch services to federal agencies.
Rohrabacher represented Orange County, Calif., in the House of Representatives for 30 years but lost his re-election bid in 2018. The loss was partly due to Rohrabacher has publicly acknowledged communications with the Kremlin, including a 2016 meeting in Moscow, that troubled U.S. intelligence officials.
Musk’s Tesla has recently established supply chain ties with Russia, purchasing millions of euros worth of aluminum from Rusal since the end of 2020, CNBC first reported. Rusal, founded by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, which said Russia was engaging in “malign activity” at the time. These sanctions are Canceled under Trump in 2019.
If Trump wins, he has promised Musk a role in the “Government Effectiveness” committee, which he said he would form based on the tech giant’s recommendations. Such a role would give Musk influence over federal agencies, including those charged with ensuring that he and his companies comply with federal law.
Speech at the Economic Club of New York September, Trump said he envisioned the commission “being tasked with conducting a comprehensive financial and performance audit of the entire federal government.” Trump has repeatedly said Musk would lead the committee but would not have to leave his company to do so.
About The Author
