Billionaire Elon Musk also joined President-elect Donald Trump’s phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week, a new report says.
Zelensky — who wanted to talk about Trump’s victory and the future of U.S.-Ukrainian relations amid the ongoing war with Russia — was surprised to learn that Musk was on the line with Trump when the call began on Wednesday. Axios reportedCiting officials familiar with the situation.
Zelensky later issued a statement He described his conversation with Trump as “excellent” and congratulated the former president on his “historic landslide victory.”
“We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering American leadership is vital for the world and a just peace,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
The three-way call underlined how close Musk is to Trump — and could signal that the Tesla CEO will have a bigger role in GOPer’s administration.
The two men were photographed having lunch together at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday, after Trump won every single swing state and defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.
Musk was also included in a Trump family photo after the election and was seen visiting with the former president at a Mar-a-Lago gift shop with his children.
The two’s conversation with Zelensky lasted about 25 minutes, in which Trump said he would support Ukraine without giving specific details. According to Axios.
Musk jumped in at one point to say he would continue to support Ukraine with access to Starlink, the report said.
The Ukrainian president seemed pleased with the call and praised Trump’s “peace through strength” policy on Wednesday afternoon.
“For us in Ukraine and throughout Europe, it has always been important to hear the words of ‘peace through strength’ of the then 45th President of the United States. When this principle becomes the policy of the 47th President, there will be no doubt that both America and the whole world will benefit,” Zelensky said in an X post.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also said he was ready to talk to Trump if the newly elected president called. President Biden has not spoken to Putin since the Kremlin started the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
He congratulated Trump on his victory, speaking at a conference in Sochi, and said the 45th president showed he was “brave” after an assassination attempt on his life in Butler, PA.
The punch in the air and the call for a “fight” showed that Trump is a man who “proves” himself in “exceptional circumstances”, Putin said.
Trump has long said that he would try to bring Zelensky and Putin together to reach an agreement on the Russia–Ukraine war, and that he would seek a solution in “24 hours” even before officially taking office. Can.
Zelensky’s office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment on Friday.
(Tags to translate)Politics(T)US News(T)Donald Trump(T)Elon Musk(T)Ukraine(T)Ukraine War(T)Vladimir Putin(T)Volodymyr Zelensky
