Elon Musk was treated like a “diplomat” by senior Pentagon officials, saying during a phone call about the war in Ukraine that he had a “great conversation with Putin,” it is alleged.
The billionaire revealed he had spoken to the Russian leader during a phone call last fall with US defense personnel, who treated Musk as a “diplomat” for his influence in the ongoing war, the government said. New Yorker.
The Ukrainian military relied on Starlink, an internet and communications service from Musk’s company SpaceX. But just months after Russia invaded Ukraine last February, Musk began to complain about the cost of offering the Starlink service for free.
Defense officials were “panicked” by the prospect of the service being shut down, and Colin Kahl, then the Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon, discussed the matter with Musk last October.
A senior defense official told the New Yorker that there were several conversations with US staff and that Musk revealed, “Well, I had a great conversation with Putin.”
Elon Musk told senior Pentagon officials on a phone call about the war in Ukraine that he had a ‘great conversation with Putin,’ it is alleged
Reports that Musk had spoken to Putin about the war first surfaced last October, and the Tesla owner has denied the claim
The report said that Musk had “said his consultations with the Kremlin were regular.”
The report did not include any further information about what Musk and the Russian president were discussing. Reports that Musk had spoken to Putin about the war first surfaced last October, and the Tesla owner has denied the claim.
The official who spoke to the New Yorker said the view in U.S. defense circles about the alleged conversation was, “Oh dear, this is no good.”
Kahl said that “while Musk is not technically a diplomat or a statesman, I felt it was important to treat him as such, given the influence he had on this issue.”
As Musk grew uneasy about Starlink’s funding in Ukraine, he also publicly debated with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky about possible diplomatic solutions to the war.
Musk had tweeted that a deal could be reached that would see Russia retain control of the Crimean peninsula it occupied in 2014.
Colin Kahl, then secretary of defense for policy at the Pentagon, spoke to Elon Musk last October over fears at the Pentagon that Musk would shut down the Starlink service in Ukraine
As Musk grew uneasy about Starlink’s funding in Ukraine, he also publicly debated with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky about possible diplomatic solutions to the war.
Zelensky responded with a sarcastic Twitter poll asking, “Which Elon Musk do you like more?”: “Someone who supports Ukraine” or “Someone who supports Russia.”
Ultimately, SpaceX continued to provide Starlink services, and in June the Pentagon said it had reached a deal to fund the service. Musk had claimed it would cost Starlink $400 million a year to continue funding for the service.
Kahl added, “My conclusion was that he was getting nervous that Starlink’s involvement in Russia was increasingly seen as enabling Ukraine’s war effort, and was looking for a way to allay Russian concerns.”
Musk said in October 2022 that he had only spoken to Putin once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject was space.’
Ukraine has reportedly been forced to abort several planned drone strikes against Russian targets after Elon Musk refused to allow access to the Starlink satellite network for offensive military maneuvers.
Kiev recently planned to remotely pilot a drone to launch an explosive attack on a Russian naval ship at a Black Sea base in occupied Crimea.
But the SpaceX CEO, 52, denied the Ukrainian military use of his Starlink network — whose services he offered to Kiev earlier in the war — and forced army chiefs to call off the attack, according to a report by the New York Times.
In the aftermath of the aborted attack, Ukrainian army chief Valery Zaluzhnyi reportedly contacted US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley.
Zaluzhnyi said it was “disturbing” that Musk had deflected several planned attacks.
The billionaire, who has offered his network of satellites to support Ukraine’s wartime communications in the months following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, has insisted from the start that his technology is “exclusively for peaceful use.”
SpaceX CEO Musk, 52, reportedly denied the Ukrainian military use of its Starlink network several times, thwarting planned attacks on Russian targets, according to a New York Times report
A handout photo made available by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service shows Valeriy Zaluzhnyi (C), Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, attending an event marking Ukrainian State Day at Mykhailivska Square in central Kyiv . Ukraine, July 28, 2023
Musk, who offered his network of satellites for free in 2022 to support Ukraine’s wartime communications, has insisted from the start that his technology is “for peaceful use only”
Musk’s Starlink satellites have provided vital comms support to Ukraine’s military since Russia’s invasion
The latest controversy over the use of Starlink for offensive military maneuvers comes after SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell formally announced in February that the company would limit Ukraine’s use of Starlink for military purposes.
Shotwell stated that the service can be used for typical communications and humanitarian efforts, such as connecting families and hospitals.
The service had enabled Ukrainians to benefit from uninterrupted, independent and secure internet access amid Russia’s consolidated missile strikes that caused significant damage to Ukraine’s communications infrastructure.
In many cases, Starlink satellites became the only means of communication for Ukrainian forces at the front.
Starlink’s terms of service document clearly states, “Starlink is not designed or intended for use with or in offensive or defensive weapons or other similar end uses.”
But the Ukrainian military had used the technology to fly drones that carried anti-tank grenades and destroyed Russian tanks and army trucks.
In recent months, Kiev has pioneered the use of naval ‘kamikaze’ drones – unmanned ships loaded with explosives that are floated towards Russian warships and detonated on impact.
It has also used seafaring drones to destroy or damage infrastructure controlled by Moscow, most notably a stretch of the Kerch Bridge connecting occupied Crimea to mainland Russia.