President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Trump and Musk have become close allies in recent months. The businessman campaigned on Trump's behalf ahead of the election and has been promised a high-ranking position in the next administration. According to reports, President Trump called President Zelensky on Wednesday and spoke about future U.S. aid to Ukraine. multiple report. (Related: Trump victory means allies will have to spend more on their defense, European officials admit)
Zelensky congratulated President Trump on his election victory Tuesday, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Axios. President Trump told Zelensky that U.S. support for Ukraine would continue.
Sources told Axios that President Trump wants to try to find a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine war. Other topics, such as future U.S. aid to Ukraine and how President Trump plans to end the war, were not discussed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Republican presidential candidate former US President Donald Trump meet for talks in New York City on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
Musk was at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida at the time. At one point during the call, Musk entered the room where Trump was speaking with Zelensky and greeted Zelensky, the people said. said The Wall Street Journal. Zelenskiy also returned his greetings.
Zelenskiy joked to Musk that he uses Starlink to make phone calls, sources told the Journal. According to multiple reports, Mr. Musk told Mr. Zelensky that he would guarantee that his company, Starlink, would continue to provide support to Ukraine. He also said he had sent Starlink troops to Ukraine.
Starlink has a satellite network around the world that can provide internet access even in the most remote locations.
Interestingly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also present with Musk and Trump and spoke to Zelenskiy on the phone, sources told Axios, although it is not clear what he said. . The three were dining at Mar-a-Lago at the time.
Three sources told Axios that Zelenskyy appeared satisfied with the call. One source said that President Zelenskiy “did not leave any sense of despair.” He also reportedly felt it was a good sign that Trump called him so soon after the election.
“There was nothing in what Mr. Zelenskiy and his aides heard privately from Mr. Trump and his team that was alarming or made them feel that Ukraine would pay a price,” said a person familiar with the matter. sources told Axios.
However, there are concerns within Kiev that President Trump's theory of victory may differ from Ukraine's theory of victory. In a speech in Budapest on Thursday, President Zelensky touted positive dialogue with President Trump, but said: “We still don't know what will happen.” [Trump’s] The behavior will be so. ”
“If it's just too early, that means a loss for Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said, referring to President Trump's pledge to end the war quickly. “I still don't understand how this could happen any other way. Maybe we don't know or don't see something.”
President Trump has promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war by the time he takes office in January, and although he has given few specifics, he has vowed to address his relationship with both Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin; He regularly mentions his ability to end war between the two sides. negotiation table.
“We both want this to end and we both want a fair deal,” President Trump said. reporter alongside Zelenskiy at a press conference in September. “It needs to stop, and the president (Zelensky) wants it to stop, and I'm sure President Putin wants it to stop, so that's a good combination.”
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