Big US election shake up: Elon Musk’s alleged ties with Vladimir Putin spark ‘Russian favour’ concerns

Report suggests Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin have maintained contact and discussed a range of topics, from personal matters to global tensions

Since late 2022, there have been reports indicating that Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, a notable supporter of Donald Trump, has allegedly stayed in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Wall Street Journal recently covered this story, and Musk has refrained from commenting on it.

According to the report, Musk and Putin engaged in discussions covering a variety of subjects, spanning from personal issues to international conflicts. Sources cited by the WSJ reveal that in a particular dialogue, Putin reportedly requested Musk to refrain from deploying his Starlink satellites over Taiwan as a gesture of goodwill towards Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Amidst the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Elon Musk, the wealthiest individual globally, has entered the realm of U.S. politics with intensified financial backing. Notably, Musk, a vocal supporter of ex-President Donald Trump, is linked to rumors of connections with Putin, an allegation Trump has consistently refuted. These unfolding events shed light on Musk’s political involvement during this volatile period.

Accusations have been made against Musk for allegedly selling Starlink terminals to Russia during the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine. Musk, however, has vehemently denied these allegations, labeling them as “completely untrue.

Musk’s continued interactions with Putin, if accurate, may spark worries regarding national security. Given that his enterprises, such as SpaceX, engage in significant transactions with the U.S. military and governmental bodies, he holds privileged insights. The New York Times reported that Musk clinched contracts worth $3 billion from different federal entities solely last year.

Trump has suggested that Musk might have a significant part in his government should he secure a second consecutive term. There are apprehensions among certain observers that this association could impact forthcoming government deals involving Musk’s enterprises, like Tesla and SpaceX.

Elon Musk has previously minimized the frequency of his interactions with Putin. In an October 2022 post on X (formerly Twitter), he mentioned having conversed with Putin on just one occasion, approximately 18 months prior, focusing their discussion on space-related matters. This declaration came in response to assertions made by political analyst Ian Bremmer, alleging that Musk and Putin had talked about the conflict in Ukraine towards the end of 2022.