MOSCOW: The Kremlin has denied a report by The Wall Street Journal alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, have been in regular secret contact since 2022. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, labeled the claims as “absolutely false,” asserting that the information published in the newspaper was untrue.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the Wall Street Journal report suggested that Putin and Musk had discussed personal and political matters, including a request from Putin for Musk to avoid activating his Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The report also highlighted Musk’s support for Donald Trump’s election campaign, through donations and messages on his X platform.

Peskov clarified that Putin and Musk had only one contact before 2022, which took place over the phone. He described the conversation as a “fact-finding” one, focusing on visionary technology and future technological developm
ents. Peskov emphasized that it was a medium-length call and the only interaction between the two figures, dismissing any claims of further contact as false.

The Kremlin spokesman suggested that the report was likely part of a “fake story” related to the heated U.S. election campaign. Peskov remarked on the proximity of the election race to its conclusion, suggesting opponents might resort to “any means” to gain an advantage. He also referenced a recent book by U.S. journalist Bob Woodward, which claimed that Trump had sent Covid test kits to Putin and had multiple conversations with him after leaving office. While Peskov confirmed the delivery of Covid tests, he denied any post-office calls between Trump and Putin.