Putin Reportedly Asked Elon Musk Not to Activate Starlink Over Taiwan

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has reportedly kept in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal.

The article, published Thursday night, says that Putin and Musk discussed topics from personal issues to geopolitical tensions. In one such conversation, two people familiar with the matter told the Journal that Putin had asked Musk not to activate his Starlink satellites over Taiwan as a “favor” to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The report arrives as Musk has become entangled in the U.S. presidential election. The billionaire, who according to Forbes is the richest person in the world, with a net worth of $26.4 billion, has endorsed former President Donald Trump, who has also been reportedly staying in touch with Putin, even after leaving the White House.

Musk faced allegations this year that he had sold terminals for Starlink, the world’s largest network of satellites that provide internet access, to Russia amid the war between Moscow and Ukraine. Musk called such reports “categorically false.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as further information becomes available.