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Elon Musk joined Zelensky and Trump on a post-election call
According to a source familiar with the situation, tech mogul Elon Musk participated in a call with US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the day following the presidential election.
The individual communicated with CNN under the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussion.
Zelensky on X
Zelensky earlier stated on X that he spoke with Trump on Wednesday and praised him for “his historic landslide” victory. “We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace,” Zelensky stated at the time.
CNN is contacting Musk and Trump’s teams regarding the call, initially reported by Axios.
Trump’s win occurs at a fragile time in the struggle for Kyiv as Russia achieves progress in the eastern Donbas area, which Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to seize entirely.
During his presidential campaign, Trump questioned the ongoing US support for Kyiv as the conflict extends beyond two and a half years since the Russian invasion. He has also suggested that the US might coerce Ukraine into an uncomfortable ceasefire with Russia.
Elon Musk – whose pro-Trump super PAC invested over $118 million in the 2024 campaign – has presented himself as the leader of a wide initiative to reduce expenditures within the federal government. His involvement in Trump’s conversation with Zelensky brings up concerns regarding the nature of his influence in the upcoming administration.
In Ukraine, Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service has offered a considerable frontline edge to Ukraine’s smaller military since the 2022 invasion, enabling its forces to exchange real-time drone feeds among units and communicate in regions where fighting has interrupted cellphone service.
However, there have also been worries regarding Musk’s alleged connections with antagonistic foreign leaders.
Several US officials have expressed counterintelligence worries over the past year regarding Musk’s engagement with US rivals such as Russia, but the US intelligence community is hesitant to investigate these interactions due to Musk being an American citizen, a source knowledgeable about the situation previously informed CNN.
As per Reports
A report from the Wall Street Journal in September indicated that the SpaceX founder and Russian President Vladimir Putin have maintained “regular contact” since late 2022, noting they discussed “personal topics, business and geopolitical tensions.”
It sparked concerns about national security since SpaceX’s ties with NASA and the US military could have provided Musk with access to sensitive government data and US intelligence.
Musk failed to reply to the Journal’s requests for a comment. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed the newspaper that Musk and Putin have communicated via telephone only once to talk about “space as well as current and future technologies.”
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