US election turmoil: Elon Musk’s alleged links to Vladimir Putin raise 'Russian favour' concerns
- In Reports
- 03:29 PM, Oct 25, 2024
- Myind Staff
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and a fervent Trump supporter has apparently maintained communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022, according to a recent Wall Street Journal piece. However, Musk has left this matter with ‘no comments’.
Musk and Putin reportedly talked about a variety of subjects, including personal issues and international difficulties. Putin allegedly asked Musk not to activate his Starlink satellites above Taiwan as a favour to Chinese leader Xi Jinping during one chat, according to sources from WSJ. These startling disclosures coincide with Musk's heightened involvement in the U.S. presidential campaign amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The richest person in the world, Musk, has openly supported former President Donald Trump, who has disputed rumours that he still has connections to Putin. Although Trump refuted such claims.
Musk has already been accused of selling Russia Starlink terminals in the midst of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But Musk has strongly denied these accusations, claiming they are "categorically false." Musk's ongoing conversations with Putin may pose national security issues if they are accurate. He has access to sensitive material since his companies, notably SpaceX, have extensive business dealings with the U.S. government and military. The New York Times claims that last year, Musk was awarded contracts worth $3 billion from different federal entities.
If Trump is elected to a second term, he has also implied that Musk would be a major player in his administration. Some critics have expressed worries that this connection would affect upcoming federal contracts with Musk's businesses, including SpaceX and Tesla. In the past, Musk has minimised the volume of his interactions with Putin. He wrote on X (previously Twitter) in October 2022 that he had only spoken to Putin once, around 18 months prior, and that it had been about space. The announcement came after political scientist Ian Bremmer said that Musk and Putin had spoken about the situation in Ukraine in late 2022.
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