Musk 'has regular chats' with Putin

RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin asked Tesla boss Elon Musk to withhold Starlink satellite access from Taiwan as a favour to China's Xi Jinping during a series of secret talks, it was reported in the US yesterday.

- Mark Reynolds

Several unnamed current and former government officials in the US, Europe and Russia told the Wall Street Journal that Musk - the world's richest man - has been in regular contact with the Kremlin chief since late 2022.

The sources claimed the multibillionaire and the Russian leader speak on personal matters, business and geopolitics with their chats beginning after he invaded Ukraine.

It was during one such conversation that Putin allegedly asked Musk not to activate his Starlink satellites over Taiwan as a "favour" to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

But the extraordinary claims are likely to prompt awkward questions for the US administration, with Musk's SpaceX holding huge defence and space contracts with both the Pentagon and Nasa.