In one of the strangest developments since the last U.S. presidential contest, tech mogul Elon Musk joined a congratulatory call between President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sources said that Trump, with Musk at Mar-a-Lago, took the call on speakerphone so that Zelensky could thank Musk personally for providing Starlink internet access to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
The seven-minute call was brief, with no discussion of policy, but it underlined the outsized role that Musk has played in Ukraine’s defense. His Starlink service, funded initially by SpaceX, kept Ukrainian forces connected on the front lines as fighting disrupted communication networks. Later, Musk groused about Starlink’s high cost and limited access in the two territories of Crimea and Donbas. Still, the Pentagon took over funding to keep the system running for Ukraine.
Musk’s role in Ukrainian-Russian relations, however, has not been without controversy. A recent biography revealed that in 2022, Musk shut down Starlink around Crimea. The reason was supposedly his belief that a Ukrainian attack there could incite a nuclear response from Russia. His reportedly blunt interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin have also raised red flags about Musk’s foreign relations with US officials.
With Trump about to come into office, Musk’s presence on the call implies an advisory role in the administration on international issues-another layer of intrigue over Musk’s already complex role in global politics and technology.
