Here’s a look at Musk’s contact with Putin and why it matters

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk, nan billionaire proprietor of awesome authorities contractor SpaceX and a cardinal state of Republican statesmanlike nominee Donald Trump, has been successful regular interaction pinch Russian President Vladimir Putin for nan past 2 years, The Wall Street Journal reported.

A personification acquainted pinch nan situation, who said connected information of anonymity to talk nan delicate matter, confirmed to The Associated Press that Musk and Putin person had interaction done calls. The personification didn’t supply further specifications astir nan wave of nan calls, erstwhile they occurred aliases their content.

Musk, nan world’s richest man who besides owns Tesla and nan societal level X, has emerged arsenic a starring voice connected the American right. He’s poured millions of dollars into Trump’s statesmanlike bid and turned nan level erstwhile known arsenic Twitter into a tract celebrated pinch Trump supporters, arsenic good arsenic conspiracy theorists, extremists and Russian propagandists.

Musk’s contacts pinch Putin raise nationalist information questions, fixed his companies’ activity for nan government, and item concerns astir Russian power successful American politics.

Here’s what to know:

What they talked about

Musk and Putin person spoken many times astir individual matters, business and geopolitics, The Journal reported Thursday, citing aggregate existent and erstwhile officials successful nan U.S., Europe and Russia.

During 1 talk, Putin asked Musk not to activate his Starlink outer strategy complete Taiwan arsenic a favour for Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose ties to Putin person grown closer, nan Journal reported. Putin and Xi person met much than 40 times since 2013.

Russia has denied nan conversations took place. In 2022, Musk said he’d only spoken to Putin once, successful a telephone 18 months earlier focused connected space.

The Chinese Embassy successful Washington said Friday that it was “not alert of nan specifics” of immoderate requests made by Putin connected China’s behalf.

There was nary contiguous consequence to messages near pinch X and Tesla seeking Musk’s comment.

What nan talks mean for nationalist security

Musk’s narration pinch Putin raises nationalist information questions fixed nan billions of dollars successful authorities contracts awarded to SpaceX, a critical partner to NASA and authorities outer programs.

Trump besides has vowed to springiness Musk a domiciled successful his management if he wins adjacent month.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said it’s different for business leaders to beryllium successful interaction pinch Putin without informing U.S. authorities. While CEOs whitethorn often interact pinch overseas leaders, Putin stands apart, fixed his penetration of Ukraine, McFaul said.

“He’s a warfare criminal who is slaughtering civilians. That makes this incorrect successful my view,” McFaul said of Musk’s talks pinch Putin. “You person to determine what squad you are on. Are you connected nan American squad aliases are you connected nan Russian team?”

The petition from Putin connected Starlink arsenic a favour to China is apt to get attention, fixed U.S. support for Taiwan and concerns astir nan growing partnership betwixt nan Kremlin and Beijing.

Musk, whose Tesla operates Gigafactory Shanghai, has developed a adjacent narration pinch China’s leaders. His remarks astir China person been friendly, and he has suggested Taiwan cede immoderate power to Beijing by becoming a typical administrative region.

Moscow has increasing ties to different American adversaries. The U.S. has accused Russia of sending ballistic missiles to Iran and said North Korea sent troops to Russia, perchance for combat successful Ukraine.

On Ukraine, Musk’s views person shifted since he initially supported Kyiv pursuing Russia’s 2022 penetration and provided it pinch his Starlink strategy for communications.

Musk past refused to let Ukraine successful 2023 to usage Starlink for a astonishment onslaught connected Russian soldiers successful Crimea.

He besides floated a bid connection that would person required Ukraine to driblet plans for NATO rank and fixed Russia imperishable power of Crimea, which it seized successful 2014. The scheme infuriated Ukrainian leaders.

The timing of nan calls reported by The Journal and Musk’s changing views connected Ukraine was a “disturbing coincidence,” said Bradley Bowman, a erstwhile West Point adjunct professor who is now elder head of nan Center connected Military and Political Power astatine nan Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based deliberation tank.

“The argumentation of nan U.S. authorities is to effort to isolate Vladimir Putin, and Elon Musk is straight undercutting that,” Bowman said. “What is Putin doing pinch Musk? Putin is trying to trim his world isolation and effect American overseas policy.”

One personification acquainted pinch nan talks betwixt Musk and Putin told The Journal that location is nary grounds Musk’s interaction pinch Putin represents a information problem for nan U.S.

Asked astir Musk’s contacts pinch Putin, White House nationalist information spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Friday that he had nary accusation to share.

The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence officials declined to comment. The State Department didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

Musk’s adjacent ties to Trump

Musk recently appeared astatine a Trump rally, sporting a Make America Great Again chapeau and delivered a ominous informing that if Trump mislaid nan title “this will beryllium nan past election.”

Last year, Musk mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s petition for assistance and said successful February that Ukraine couldn’t triumph nan war.

Trump, who has praised Putin’s leadership and criticized nan NATO alliance and U.S. assistance for Ukraine, has raised questions astir what he would beryllium willing to concede if he’s elected successful a speech complete Ukraine’s future

U.S. intelligence officials and backstage assemblage analysts person concluded that Russia is moving to covertly support Trump pinch disinformation and propaganda targeting his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Since Musk took complete X, it has go a leading online source of Russian propaganda and disinformation aimed astatine Americans.

Trump has faced scrutiny complete his ain recent contacts pinch Putin, outlined successful a caller book by Watergate journalist Bob Woodward.

Woodward quoted an unnamed Trump adjutant who said nan erstwhile president and Putin whitethorn person had arsenic galore arsenic 7 conversations since Trump mislaid reelection successful 2020. Before 1 of nan calls, nan adjutant said they were asked to time off Trump’s agency to springiness nan 2 privacy.

The Trump run and nan Kremlin person denied those calls occurred.

In consequence to questions astir Musk and Putin, Trump run property caput Karoline Leavitt called Musk “a once-in-a-generation manufacture leader” whose ideas could use “our surgery national bureaucracy.”

“As for Putin, there’s only 1 campaigner successful nan title that he did not invade different state under, and it’s President Trump,” Leavitt said successful a statement. “President Trump has agelong said that he will re-establish his bid done spot overseas argumentation to deter Russia’s aggression and extremity nan warfare successful Ukraine.”

Russia confirms 1 conversation

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov connected Friday rejected The Journal’s study arsenic “absolutely mendacious information.”

Peskov said Putin and Musk erstwhile held a “medium-length telephone conversation” anterior to 2022 that was “more of an introductory nature” and focused connected “visionary technologies.”

“After that, Musk had nary contacts pinch Putin,” Peskov said, dismissing The Journal’s article arsenic political.

“The predetermination has entered its location stretch, and of people nan opponents extremity astatine nothing,” Peskov said. “Remember that a week agone they were saying that Putin allegedly talks to Trump each time long. Now he allegedly talks to Musk each nan time. It’s each untrue.”

Ukraine’s subject intelligence told nan AP that they would “refrain from commenting” astir connection betwixt Putin and Musk.

___

Associated Press writers Didi Tang successful Washington, Daria Litvinova successful Tallinn, Estonia, and Illia Novikov successful Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.