Zelensky says Musk was in contact with Putin since war began

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Elon Musk has been in contact with both Vladimir Putin and himself since the very start of the war. He made the remark in an interview with the American network PBS NewsHour, without giving any details.

“At the very beginning of the war, Elon had contact with both Putin and me,” Zelensky said. He made the comment when the conversation turned to Ukraine’s dependence on the satellite services Starlink and Starshield, which are run by Musk’s company SpaceX.

“I don’t know whether he supports Ukraine”

Journalists asked whether Zelensky believes that Musk supports Ukraine and wants it to win. The president answered that he doesn’t know. He stressed that he is grateful for the role Starlink has played during the war, but admitted that some of Musk’s earlier public signals did not look “pro-Ukrainian.”

As an example, Zelensky pointed to events on October 15, when Musk called on him to resign. The billionaire was reacting to a post about the Ukrainian president’s interview with British host Piers Morgan, in which Zelensky spoke about feeling betrayed by US President Donald Trump.

Putin called Musk a “genius”

Zelensky’s comment came a few days after Putin publicly praised Musk and spoke about Moscow’s contacts with the billionaire. The Russian president called the head of SpaceX a “genius” and said Russia maintains close communication with American partners, including Musk, to avoid mutual interference between satellites.

Asked about Trump, Zelensky described their relationship as “emotional.” He urged Washington to put more pressure on Putin, rather than on Ukraine.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz