Elon Musk made a surprise appearance on a phone call between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during which he was appointed as Ukraine’s most influential private citizen in January as Tesla’s CEO. The role was confirmed.
Musk was reportedly on the call with Trump for approximately 25 minutes. Axios first reported the call. Trump handed the phone to Musk, and Musk briefly spoke with Zelenskiy. Zelenskiy thanked Musk for providing satellites to Ukraine through Starlink, as reported by AFP. Musk mentioned he would continue providing satellite internet connectivity.
Although Musk supported Trump’s campaign, his stance on issues related to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine has been mixed. Initially, Musk offered Ukraine free internet access through Starlink satellites, but later received funding from various organizations, including the U.S. government.
Zelenskiy’s call with Trump provided reassurance for the Ukrainian president. Trump assured Zelenskiy of continued support without going into specifics. Zelenskiy praised Trump and his team for their successful campaign in a statement.
Musk’s actions towards aiding Ukraine have been ambiguous at times. Following an emergency request from Ukraine to launch a satellite over Crimea, Musk refused, stating he wanted to avoid escalating conflict and war through Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX.
In a tweet, Musk presented a peace plan that some experts deemed pro-Kremlin. Zelenskiy responded by polling followers on whether they preferred Russia or Musk, who has been supportive of Ukraine.
Recent reports from the Wall Street Journal indicate Musk has been in communication with Vladimir Putin since 2022. The content of their discussions remains unknown, but Starlink was reportedly discussed in one instance, with Putin requesting Musk not activate Starlink over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Musk responded to a post on I can’t.
I had a great call with the president. @realDonaldTrump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory. His incredible campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work.
We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our bilateral relations.
— Volodymyr Zelensky / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
