Secret talks between Putin and Elon Musk and favors regarding Starlink in Taiwan

Elon MuskThe tycoon running the private space race and managing the most ambitious satellite internet infrastructure didn’t need anything from the Kremlin or the president. Vladimir PutinHowever, in the final months of 2022, the SpaceX founder and the Russian President started sharing a direct line of contact. Confirmation of their conversation, obtained by the US government and disclosed by European and Russian sources, had already begun to send shivers through the halls. white House And in the Pentagon, especially after a special request from Putin, according to an investigation published by wall street journal,

In one of those conversations, Putin – with the skill of a chess player in the middle of a game of shadows – he sent an unusual message: he asked musk refrain from activating starlink About this taiwanAccording to informants, the reason for this is not regional ambitions. Russiabut as a direct favor Xi Jinpinghead of government China and strategic partners of moscow On the new geopolitical board. Xi Was looking for according to kremlinensure dissection of taiwanControl external influences and avoid possible stress.

reaction of musk The request was not disclosed, but the facts speak for themselves. Even if the coverage starlink has increased rapidly, taiwan Still listed as “soon“On the service map.

During all these conversations, the tone between musk And Putin According to sources, he remained completely polite and almost familiar, although the topics they discussed were general rather than casual. Behind his words there seemed to be two giants – one of industry and the other of geopolitical power – moving carefully along the lines of their respective interests. Cold and practical Russian President met musk A kind of bridge to the Western world, with access to American defense secrets and, at the same time, outside the rigid diplomatic framework.

,We are interested in the future of technology in space“He said Putin In a call earlier this year, referring to spacex and progress of musk In the space area. According to the information, the talks revolved around the possibilities of cooperation and rivalry in the space race, two strategic issues that both handled with skepticism and precision. There was no condemnation, but rather a strange diplomacy of convenience, born in a context of growing Russian isolation.

The most delicate issue that arose in the discussion was that of expansion starlink and its potential presence in hot spots of global conflict. In this line, Putin The request was not limited to taiwan: In many of his conversations he made it clear that the presence of starlink on sensitive areas of ukraine it was a red line Russiaespecially in the peninsula CrimeaAs moscow As he saw the situation, satellite networks should not become an offensive tool that would facilitate Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets.

muskAccording to witness reports, defended the neutrality of starlink From one side “citizen communication network”, highlighting that they were not intended to be allies in offensive military operations. However, their decision to limit its use starlink In ukraine For the purposes of the attack and its response to the request Putin About this taiwan reflected a growing interest in avoiding any direct stress Russia,

“Everything is necessary to avoid nuclear disaster,” would have said muskIn another context, when the Ukrainian crisis was being mentioned.

currencies of Elon Musk faced with ukraine There has been a change in them since the beginning of the Russian invasion, when their support seemed obvious. As soon as Russian attacks began in February 2022, Musk did not hesitate to send starlinkIts satellite internet network enables vital communications for Ukrainian forces in devastated areas.

messages from musk On X (formerly Twitter) he was as powerful as he was symbolic: “Stay strong, Ukraine”He wrote, this was followed by emojis of Ukrainian flags. In March, he took support even further by challenging Putin in a kind of public joke: to a “battle of the common man.” “Ukraine” (Ukraine, in Ukrainian).

However, as the conflict escalated and threats of nuclear attack increased, musk He began to distance himself from that position of unconditional support. As of September 2022, one particularly controversial episode highlighted the change: during a planned operation CrimeaUkrainian units tried to use the terminals starlink Guiding attack drones towards Russian naval base black seaThe operation failed because musk It decided not to enable coverage in that area, an action that caught Ukrainian forces by surprise and left their drones offline in full deployment.

When asked, musk He defended his decision by saying starlink was created for “civilian use” And not as a weapon in offensive military operations. In his opinion, an attack on Crimea -attached by moscow In 2014 – a catastrophic reaction could begin from RussiaTo the extent of taking the conflict to a nuclear exchange.

To consolidate his position, in October of the same year musk launched in x A survey With a peace proposal that surprised the world: He advocated maintaining Crimea Under Russian control, demand neutrality ukraine and allow the area of Donetsk Vote on their political positions. Within hours thousands of users expressed their disapproval, accusing him of giving in to the demands kremlinHowever, musk He stood firm and defended his proposal as a way to avoid a global-scale tragedy.

Nothing is known yet about his contacts Putin,