Connection to the Kremlin?

Musk apparently had regular contact with Putin

Elon Musk is pumping millions into Donald Trump's campaign.

(Bild: AFP/Jim WATSON)

According to a newspaper report, Trump supporter Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the end of 2022. The tech billionaire has so far remained silent about the allegations and prefers to let his donations do the talking.

In its research, the Wall Street Journal cites several current and former government officials from the USA, Europe and Russia. The conversations between Musk and Putin reportedly covered geopolitical, business and personal topics.

The wealthy entrepreneur did not respond to requests for comment made in advance by the newspaper and initially did not comment on the report even after it was published.

Musk pumps millions more into Trump campaign
Instead, he made further posts in support of former President Donald Trump on his online platform X, where he regularly disseminates right-wing conservative positions. He also donated a further 44 million dollars to his pro-Donald Trump group "America PAC" in the first half of October. This is according to federal documents published on Thursday.

Musk has thus once again increased his support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the November 5 elections. Musk also donated around ten million dollars to the Republican Senate campaign. This means that the billionaire has already pumped more than 129 million dollars into Trump's election campaign.

Trump was also in contact with Putin
These sums lend additional weight to the conservative US newspaper's research. The reports about contacts with Putin are also explosive because Trump is also said to have been in regular contact with the Kremlin leader - and publicly admired the autocrat.

Alleged regular exchanges with Putin: Musk and Trump

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/Alex Brandon)

Two years ago, Musk expressly denied a report about alleged contact with Putin. However, the contacts had actually taken place and had continued into this year, wrote the Wall Street Journal, citing a current and a former secret service employee.

At one point, Musk was asked by Putin not to activate the Starlink satellite communication system in Taiwan, it also said, citing two people briefed on the matter as sources. In doing so, Putin wanted to do a favor for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who claims control over Taiwan and backs Putin in his war of aggression against Ukraine.

Billionaire has access to secret information
Among other things, Musk is the head of SpaceX. The aerospace company currently plays a key role in the US space program - both in the civilian and military sectors. This is why Musk has a clearance for confidential information.

A person with knowledge of Musk's communications with Putin told the newspaper that federal officials "would not love" communications between the two. There are currently no concerns about threats to internal security.

Decisive role in the Ukraine war
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, SpaceX equipped the Ukrainian armed forces with Starlink terminals to replace cellular infrastructure destroyed by Russian troops. The US Department of Defense now has a contract with SpaceX for this.

Musk's biography revealed that he claimed to have prevented a Ukrainian attack on the Russian Black Sea fleet on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Musk had refused the Ukrainian request to activate Starlink in the area, citing fears of a military escalation with nuclear weapons.

Musk aims for political function
Republican presidential candidate Trump has held out the prospect of appointing Musk to head a committee to review US government spending if he wins the election on November 5. This could lead to conflicts of interest, as SpaceX is a contractor of the US government and Tesla is dependent on the decisions of the US regulatory authorities. At the same time, Musk's companies are the focus of several investigations.