By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - American tech billionaire Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022, a report said Thursday.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the talks cover personal matters, business interests and geopolitical tensions.
The discussions were reportedly confirmed by multiple current and former officials from the US, Europe and Russia.
The report, citing two people familiar with the matter, said that at one point, Putin requested that Musk refrain from activating his Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This year, Musk has become a key supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s election campaign and could potentially play a role in a future Trump administration if he is reelected.
While the US and its allies have worked to isolate Putin in recent years, Musk’s ongoing dialogue with the Russian leader could signal a possible re-engagement, aligning with Trump’s stated interest in negotiating solutions on critical issues like the Ukraine war, said the report.
The Journal said the contacts are also raising potential national security concerns among some in the Biden administration, given Putin’s position as a primary US adversary.
The SpaceX owner has also established strong business connections with US military and intelligence agencies, which gives him visibility into some of the US's most sensitive space programs, said the report.
Musk’s contacts with the Kremlin seem to be a closely guarded secret within the government, with several White House officials stating they were unaware of them.
According to the report, Musk did not respond to requests for comment.