After winning the election, Trump dialed Zelensky in the first call to Elon Musk. usa elections

Elon Musk was the surprise interlocutor of Donald Trump’s conversation with the President of Ukraine last Wednesday, in which Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated the Republican on his victory in the United States presidential elections. It was revealed this Friday by Digital Axios And other American media have confirmed this. The presence of Musk, the richest man on the planet, in the talks is a new sign of how influential he could be during Trump’s second term, with the president-elect counting on him to enact sweeping reforms to the administration.

NATO allies are concerned about Trump’s stance on Ukraine. As a candidate he even said he would resolve the war in Ukraine within a day or even before taking office. Many fear that, given their relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, this will come at the cost of forcing them to leave the region under threat of cuts in military aid. Trump has repeatedly criticized the aid packages provided by the United States. The Biden government is looking for a way to get all possible military assistance to Ukraine before January 20, when the White House takes over.

Ukraine, in turn, is heavily dependent on connectivity provided by Starlink, the satellite network of Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, which has already been a source of controversy. Furthermore, it recently emerged that the world’s richest man has been maintaining contacts with the Kremlin in recent years. Following them, Musk began to unveil positions more aligned with Russia. He began complaining that SpaceX was losing money funding terminals in Ukraine, became increasingly critical of aid to Kiev, and defended peace proposals that met some of Russia’s aspirations, including Ukraine’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia. Recognizes sovereignty.

Last year it emerged that the billionaire had rejected a request for his Starlink communications satellites to facilitate a Ukrainian attack against the Russian Black Sea military fleet in 2022. The tycoon confirmed this on his social networks: “We received an urgent request from government officials to activate Starlink to Sebastopol. The clear intention was to sink the majority of the docked Russian fleet,” the businessman wrote. He said, “Had I accepted their request, SpaceX would clearly have been engaging in a gross act of war and escalation of the conflict.”

quoting sources Axios He claims that what Zelensky heard from the president-elect left him feeling somewhat reassured. He also indicated that the call lasted for approximately 25 minutes. In it, without giving details, Trump assured that he would support Kiev, but did not join the president-elect’s alleged plans to end the war early. Musk also said he would continue to provide satellite connectivity service through Starlink, which has been fundamental to their defense.

In September, Trump met with Zelensky in New York, at which time they discussed the war with Russia and possible diplomatic paths to ending it. “I promise you you’ll be happy with me,” Trump told Zelensky. AxiosDuring that meeting, which was attended by Richard Grenell, the former US ambassador to Germany, Trump’s potential nominee for secretary of state or another senior position in his administration, including a major role in relations with Ukraine.

Musk’s role

It is unusual in any case for a businessman to participate in a call like Wednesday between two heads of state (although Trump has not yet taken office). Musk has been one of the unexpected heroes of the presidential campaign. As early as May, it was known that Trump was counting on him to be on his team if he won the election. Later, the candidate himself confirmed that if elected he would task her with “drastic” reforms in the administration. Also at Tesla’s June shareholder meeting, Musk talked about his relationship with Republicans, and how he sometimes calls them out. “He calls me for no reason. “I don’t know why, but it happens,” he said.

The South African-born tycoon donated $75 million (€70 million) in the third quarter to America PAC, an organization he created to promote Trump’s campaign, though the account later swelled to more than $120 million. . He openly called for a vote for Trump after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. At the same place he attended a rally with him for the first time a month before the election and shamelessly joined in his talks about immigration, freedom of speech and weapons.

Musk subsequently continued campaigning alone, particularly in Pennsylvania, with rallies that mixed politics with trips to Mars. In one of them, some of the alleged million-dollar raffles for registered voters were drawn out of a hat, sparking controversy. The Justice Department warned him that they might be illegal, but he ignored him. Philadelphia prosecutors sued to stop them without success and Musk’s lawyers then admitted that they were not actually random, but that winners were chosen.

He was so active in soliciting votes for Trump and spreading rumors that even President Joe Biden mentioned his alleged temporary status as an illegal immigrant when he was a student and received a visa for doing so. Used to go to work. Musk continued to campaign with Trump, including at the Madison Square Garden rally in New York, and attended a party with Republicans celebrating his election victory.

The Public Expenditure Efficiency Commission he intends to lead aims to avoid additional regulations. This could benefit it both in its development of autonomous cars (where it has clashed with current authorities) and in the launch of its rockets. In some way, it could become a regulator – or regulator – of regulators. At a conference call with analysts presenting Tesla’s results, he made clear that he would benefit himself by creating an easier path to federal approval of autonomous vehicles instead of the complex state regulations that now exist. After Trump’s victory, shares of the electric car company have skyrocketed in the stock market and the company’s capitalization has exceeded one trillion dollars for the first time since 2022. In the meantime, its companies will continue to have juicy contracts with the administration.