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Zelensky on the line, Trump hands the phone to Musk

This article was originally published in English

The world's richest man said he would continue to support Kyiv by giving it access to Starlink satellites. Mr. Zelensky had previously described the telephone exchange with the president-elect of the United States as “excellent”, without mentioning the participation of Elon Musk.

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Elon Musk participated in the telephone conversation between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump when the Ukrainian leader called the president-elect of the United States to congratulate him on his victory. This information was revealed by the American media Axios, citing an official within the Ukrainian presidency.

This source, who had direct knowledge of the call but was not authorized to give public comment, confirmed that Zelensky and Musk “briefly” spoke. According to these reports, the Ukrainian president thanked the owner of SpaceX for helping his country gain access to the satellite Internet platform Starlink.

Musk's participation in this call highlights the tech billionaire's influence in Trump's entourage. This is the latest sign of Musk's intention to “to mingle” in the government apparatus, reports the Washington Post, which raises questions about possible conflicts of interest given SpaceX's lucrative contracts with NASA.

The exchanges between Trump and Zelensky are closely followed while during his campaign the billionaire questioned the maintenance of significant military and financial aid to Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion which has lasted for almost three years.

Trump even promised to reach a quick deal to end the war and suggested that Kyiv agree to cede some territory to Moscow in exchange for peace, a condition that Volodymyr Zelensky rejected.

It was under Trump that the United States first sent weapons to Ukraine, in 2017. These Javelin anti-tank missiles played a crucial role in Ukraine's initial ability to repel the large-scale invasion. scale in 2022.

With more than $60 billion in aid sent by the Biden administration, Washington is Kyiv's primary military backer, sparking criticism from Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, suggesting the money could be better spent domestically.

Elon Musk played a key role in Donald Trump's victorious campaign for the US presidential election, investing tens of millions of dollars and promoting his ally on his social network.


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