Elon Musk joined the conversation between Trump and Zelensky
Elon Musk attended the telephone conversation between the newly elected US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the day after the presidential election. writes CNN.
A source close to the situation shared some details with the television network on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the conversation.
Zelensky previously wrote on "X" that he called Trump on Wednesday and congratulated him on "his historic victory."
"We agreed to maintain a close dialogue and improve our cooperation. Strong and unwavering American leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace," Zelenski wrote at the time.
CNN reached out to Musk and Trump's teams about the call, which it first reported "Axios".
Trump's victory comes at a precarious moment in the conflict over Kiev, as the Russian military advances in the eastern Donbass region, which Vladimir Putin wants to fully occupy.
During his presidential campaign, Trump expressed doubts about America's continued commitment to Kiev as the war drags on more than two and a half years after Russian forces invaded. He also suggested that the US under his leadership could pressure Ukraine into signing an uneasy truce with Russia.
Musk, who spent more than $118 million on Trump's campaign, is said to be leading a broad cost-cutting effort within the federal government. His inclusion in Trump's conversation with Zelensky raises questions about what his influence will look like in the new administration.
In Ukraine, Musk's Starlink internet provider has given the small Ukrainian military a significant advantage, allowing its forces to share real-time drone data between units and communicate in areas where fighting has disrupted cellphone service.
But there were also concerns about Musk's reported ties to hostile foreign leaders.
Some U.S. officials raised counterintelligence concerns last year about Musk's interactions with U.S. adversaries like Russia, but the U.S. intelligence community has been wary of scrutinizing those interactions because Musk is a U.S. citizen, an official previously told CNN.
A September Wall Street Journal report said the SpaceX founder and Russian President Vladimir Putin had been in "regular contact" since late 2022, saying they discussed "personal issues, business and geopolitical tensions."
That raised national security concerns because SpaceX's relationship with NASA and the US military may have given Musk access to sensitive government information and US intelligence.
Musk did not respond to The Journal's requests for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the newspaper that Musk and Putin had only one phone conversation in which they discussed "space, as well as current and future technologies."
