Allegations of 'secret talks' stir up the US: Musk and Putin in regular contact!

As the US presidential election on November 5 approaches, the US press has alleged that there have been 'secret talks' between billionaire businessman Elon Musk, a supporter of Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022, when the war in Ukraine began. 

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the 'regular contacts' between Putin and Musk have raised 'security concerns' in US government circles, with topics discussed including geopolitics, business, and personal matters. The WSJ reported that these meetings were confirmed by many current and former European and Russian officials. It is alleged that during this process, Putin also asked Musk not to activate his Starlink satellite internet service for Taiwan, which is involved in a sovereignty dispute with China. 

'THEY DON'T LIKE IT'

As noted in the report, Elon Musk has 'deep business ties' with US military and intelligence authorities. This gives him access to some of the US's 'most sensitive space programs.' According to the WSJ, knowledge of Musk's Kremlin connections appears to have been 'kept secret within the government.' Many White House officials stated that they were unaware of these meetings.

A person familiar with the conversations said the US government is 'facing a dilemma,' explaining the reason as the government's 'dependence' on Elon Musk's technologies. In their assessment of the matter, the same person referred to the Putin-Musk contacts and said, "They don't like it." However, it is alleged that no warnings or alarms have been issued by the administration regarding any potential security breach by Musk.

'MUSK'S APPROACH TO THE WAR HAS CHANGED'

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated in a previous announcement that the only communication between Musk and the Kremlin was a single phone call with Putin, during which they discussed 'space as well as current and future technologies.' Musk himself stated in an October 2022 post on his X account that he had only spoken to Putin once. According to Musk's statement, that conversation took place in April 2021.

However, according to the newspaper's allegations, the meetings, which included high-level Russian officials, continued after 2022. As reported by the WSJ, after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, Musk initially made statements declaring his support for Kyiv and sent hundreds of Starlink terminals to Ukraine. By July 2022, approximately 15 thousand terminals were providing free internet in Ukraine. However, in 2023, Musk's approach to the war changed. It is alleged that in September, the Ukrainian military was unable to use Starlink terminals for an attack on a naval base in Crimea, which Russia had illegally annexed. According to information shared by the WSJ at the time, Ukraine had tried to persuade Musk regarding the use of Starlink but was unsuccessful.

'CONTACTS HAVE CONTINUED SINCE 2022'

According to the newspaper, the restrictions imposed by the company on the use of Starlink in Ukraine's military operations also increased over time. In his statement on the matter, Musk said that Starlink was designed for civilian use and that he believed Ukraine's attack on Crimea could trigger a nuclear war. While one former and one current intelligence source alleged that Musk and Putin have maintained contact since October 2022, The Wall Street Journal also recalled that Musk has increased his criticism of US military aid to Ukraine and has become involved in Donald Trump's election campaign.