Elon Musk calls Trump and Zelensky after the US election

Elon Musk calls Trump and Zelensky after the US election

Elon Musk, the tech-tycoon, took part in a phone call between the designated US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj, as can be seen from a source that is familiar with the situation. The source spoke with CNN on the condition of anonymity because the conversation is sensitive.

Selenskyj's congratulations to Trump

Selenskyj had previously announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he called Trump on Wednesday and congratulated him on his “historical victory against the competition”. "We have agreed to maintain a close dialogue and drive our cooperation.

concern about the US attitude towards Kyiv

Trump's victory comes in a delicate moment for Kyiv, while Russia is making progress in the eastern Donbas area that President Vladimir Putin wants to fully conquer. During his presidential campaign, Trump expressed doubts about the ongoing US obligation to Kyiv, since the war now lasts more than two years after the invasion by Russian armed forces. He also showed that the United States could put pressure on Ukraine to achieve a fragile armistice with Russia.

Musk and his role

Musk, whose pro-Trump super-PAC invested more than $ 118 million in the 2024 campaign, has campaigned to drastically reduce the expenditure of the Federal Government. His participation in the conversation between Trump and Selenskyj raises questions about what his influence in the upcoming administration could look like.

Starlink as a strategic advantage for Ukraine

In Ukraine, Musk's Starlink Internet service of the smaller military dispute has given significant advantages on the front since the 2022 invasion by enables the armed forces to exchange real-time drone images between units and to communicate in areas in which fighting has disrupted mobile phone service.

take care of Musk’s relationships with foreign leaders

However, there are also concerns about Musk's alleged connections to hostile foreign leaders. Last year, some US officials expressed concerns regarding the defense against espionage due to Musk's interactions with US opponents such as Russia, with the US secret services being hesitated to investigate these interactions, since Musk is an American citizen, as a person familiar with the matter.

regular contact between Musk and Putin

A report by Wall Street Journal in September said that SpaceX founder and President Putin had had "regular contact" since the end of 2022, with personal issues, business concerns and geopolitical tensions being discussed. This raises questions about national security because the relationships between SpaceX to NASA and the US military Musk may have gained access to sensitive government information and US secret services.

Musk did not respond to the journal's inquiries for a comment. The spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, told the newspaper that Musk and Putin had only had a telephone conversation in which they had spoken "about space and current and future technologies".

This is a developing story and is updated.