(CNN)- Tech mogul Elon Musk participated in a call between US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk the day after the presidential election, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
The source spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the conversation.
Zelensky said on Twitter that he called Trump on Wednesday and congratulated him on his “historic and overwhelming victory.” “We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. “Strong and unwavering American leadership is vital to the world and a just peace,” Zelensky wrote at the time.
CNN is attempting to contact Musk and Trump’s teams to learn more about the call, which was originally reported by Axios.
Trump’s victory comes at a precarious moment for Kiev in the conflict, as Russia advances into the eastern Donbass region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to completely annex.
Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump questioned the continuity of the US commitment to Kiev as the war has lasted more than two and a half years since the Russian invasion. He has also commented that the US could pressure Ukraine to reach an uneasy truce with Russia.
Musk, whose pro-Trump political action committee spent more than $118 million on the 2024 campaign, plans to lead a campaign to reduce spending within the federal government. His inclusion in Trump’s call with Zelensky raises questions about the extent of his influence over the next administration.
In Ukraine, Musk’s Starlink internet service has provided the small military force with a significant frontline advantage since the 2022 invasion, allowing real-time sharing of drone transmissions between units and communications in areas where combat is ongoing. Had disrupted mobile phone service.
But concerns have also been raised about Musk’s alleged ties to hostile foreign leaders.
Some US officials have raised concerns about Musk’s interactions with US enemies such as Russia, based on a counter-intelligence operation conducted last year, but the US intelligence community has been cautious about examining those interactions because Musk is a US citizen. An official familiar with the matter previously told CNN.
A September report from the Wall Street Journal said the SpaceX founder and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been in “regular contact” since the end of 2022, during which they have discussed “personal issues, trade and geopolitical tensions.”
This raised national security concerns as SpaceX’s ties to NASA and the US military may have given Musk access to sensitive government information and US intelligence.
Musk did not respond to TWSJ’s requests for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the newspaper that there had been only one phone call between Musk and Putin in which they discussed “space, as well as current and future technologies.”
CNN’s Shania Shelton and Jennifer Hunsler contributed to this report.