Billionaire Elon Musk joined President-elect Trump’s call earlier this week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a sign of how Musk’s close relationship with Trump could manifest itself as he prepares to take the White House.
A source confirmed to The Hill’s partner network NewsNation that Musk was on the call Trump had with Zelensky on Wednesday. Trump has spoken with a number of world leaders since winning a decisive victory in the presidential election.
“We do not comment on private meetings or conversations,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition, said in a statement when asked to publicly confirm the report.
Axios first reported on Musk joining the call. The outlet reported that Musk indicated he would continue to support Ukraine with his company’s Starlink satellites, which provide internet coverage.
“It was a productive conversation, a good conversation,” Zelensky said of his phone call with Trump on Wednesday. “Of course, we cannot yet know what his actions will be. But we do hope that America will become stronger.”
Trump’s election could signal trouble for ongoing U.S. aid to Ukraine in its fight against invading Russian forces. The president-elect and his allies have repeatedly criticized continued U.S. support, and Trump himself has said European nations should bear the brunt of the cost for supporting Kyiv since the fight is closer to them.
Trump has for months claimed that he would be able to end the war between Ukraine and Russia before even taking office in January. But critics have expressed concern that any agreement would mean ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia.
