Putin praises Musk as ‘outstanding person’ days after report Tesla boss stopped Ukrainian attack
Billionaire refused Ukraine support for surprise attack on Russian naval vessels in Crimea
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Vladimir Putin heaped praise on Elon Musk as he called the billionaire an “outstanding person” and businessman.
The Russian dictator complimented the Tesla CEO and X owner just days after Mr Musk said that he refused to let Ukraine use Starlink internet to launch a surprise attack on Russian forces in Crimea.
The revelation was made in excerpts of a new biography on the South African-born entrepreneur that he had refused Ukraine support for a September 2022 attack on Russian naval vessels in Sevastopol.
Mr Musk reportedly refused as he did not want to be complicit in a “major” act of war, and has been heavily criticised by Ukraine’s leadership.
Mr Putin was not asked about the incident during an economic forum in Vladivostok but spoke about the rocket launching success of Mr Musk’s SpaceX company.
Elon Musk: How many children does the Tesla CEO have?
Fatherhood, rows with Amber Heard and ‘the woke mind virus’: six revelations from Elon Musk’s biography
Elon Musk ‘hardly remembers’ his own ‘demon-like’ episodes, biographer claims
Grimes says Elon Musk was ‘clueless’ about why she was upset by C-section photo- Elon Musk's refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon
“As far as private business and Elon Musk is concerned... he is undoubtedly an outstanding person. This must be recognised, and I think it is recognised all over the world,” he said.
“He (Musk) is an active and talented businessman and he is succeeding a lot, including with the support of the American state.”
Last October, Mr Musk was forced to deny a report that he had spoken to Mr Putin about Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine.
Ian Bremmer, head of the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy, had claimed that Mr Musk personally told him about the conversation with Mr Putin.
“I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space,” Mr Musk tweeted.
It came the same month Mr Musk asked his social media followers to vote on ways to resolve the bloody conflict.
The suggestions included holding votes in Russian-annexed areas of Ukraine, an idea welcomed by the Kremlin.
He also suggested that the rest of the world should “formally” recognise Crimea, which was illegally occupied by Moscow in 2014, as part of Russia.
In response, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky posted his own poll asking users if they liked the world’s richest person more when he supported Ukraine.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments