An unidentified source confirmed that Tech tycoon and Telsa CEO, Elon Musk joined a call conversation between US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the day after the presidential election. Trump was reportedly with Musk at Mar-a-Lago when Zelensky called to congratulate the president-elect for what a source briefed on the call described as a positive and cordial conversation. The President-Elect put the call on speaker and Zelensky thanked Musk for his help with providing communications through Starlink to Ukraine in the ongoing war with Russia. The call was roughly seven minutes long, and no policy was discussed, CNN stated. Zelensky previously said on X that he called Trump on Wednesday and congratulated him on “his historic landslide” win. “We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace,” Zelensky wrote at the time. The call was first reported by Axios. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump cast doubt on continued US commitment to Kyiv as the war drags on more than two and half years after Russian forces invaded. He has also made comments that suggest the US could pressure Ukraine into an uneasy truce with Russia. Musk – whose pro-Trump super PAC spent more than $118 million in the 2024 campaign – has pitched himself to lead a broad effort to slash spending inside the federal government. He also has benefitted from billions of dollars’ worth of federal contracts, including from NASA, the military and other US government agencies. The billionaire’s inclusion on Trump’s call with Zelensky raises questions about what his influence will look like in the incoming administration.
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