Zelensky: Musk in Contact With Putin Since War’s Start

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Elon Musk had been in communication with both him and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, in a PBS NewsHour interview aired Monday, Nov. 2.“At the very beginning of the war, Elon had communication with Putin and with me,” Zelensky said. He gave no details about when the contacts took place, what they concerned or whether they were direct conversations.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Zelensky made the remark while discussing Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink and Starshield, satellite services operated by Musk’s SpaceX.Asked whether he believed Musk supported Ukraine and wanted it to win, Zelensky said he did not know. He said he remained grateful for Starlink’s role during the war, but added that some of Musk’s earlier public signals about Ukraine had not seemed “pro-Ukrainian.”One such signal came on Oct. 15, when Musk called for Zelensky to go as Kyiv raised concerns about US restrictions on satellite services and intelligence sharing.Zelensky said he had wanted to speak with Musk after SpaceX restricted Starlink service in October, but the company did not connect them. He said he could not identify who authorized the restrictions and was unsure whether Musk could independently limit Starshield, which he described as a government version of the system.Putin says Moscow coordinates with MuskZelensky’s comment came days after Putin publicly praised Musk and spoke about Moscow’s contacts with him. Other Topics of Interest Clashes Near Kyiv: What Happened at National Guard Site? A confrontation outside a military facility near Kyiv drew senior officials to the scene. Authorities are investigating as allegations of abuse remain disputed. On Oct. 28, Putin called the SpaceX chief a “genius” and said Russia was in close contact with US partners, including Musk, to prevent satellites from interfering with one another.Putin made the remarks while discussing Russia’s effort to build a satellite internet network to rival Starlink. He said Russia had launched more than 30 satellites and was only taking its first steps. Putin did not connect those comments to the communications Zelensky described from the start of the full-scale invasion.Conflicting accounts over Starlink limitsThe latest dispute began after restrictions imposed overnight on Oct. 13-14 disrupted Ukrainian drone operations, particularly interceptor drones used against Russian jet-powered Shaheds.Musk said the US military, including President Donald Trump, set the speed limits on Starshield – Zelensky said Russia was trying to exploit the outage. The exchange was detailed as Ukraine reported that the US controlled Starshield limits.On Oct. 20, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered the restrictions, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.On Oct. 21, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Starlink access was governed by a private commercial contract and that decisions rested with SpaceX and Musk, not the White House, as detailed in Rubio’s comments on access.A Ukrainian defense ministry source said on Oct. 23 that the military was still recording losses at 161 kph (100 mph) and had no confirmation the restrictions had been lifted.On Oct. 24, Musk acknowledged SpaceX had throttled Starlink and alleged Ukraine had violated the commercial service’s terms by using it for offensive drone strikes. Ukrainian defense figures disputed the allegation and said the civilian service’s speed limits and geofencing made such use technically implausible. Their response to Musk’s terms-of-service claim set out the dispute.Ukraine later said Starlink and Starshield had returned to full operation. On Oct. 28, the Pentagon inspector general declined a bipartisan request to investigate the disruptions, saying the Air Force was better placed to address the concerns. The request came from nine senators who wanted to know whether US officials had directed or known in advance about changes affecting Ukraine’s satellite access.Other points from the interviewZelensky also said Ukraine retaliated after Russian hackers attacked the country’s Air Alert app, which had sent users false warnings about radiation and chemical threats. He confirmed Kyiv responded by targeting Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry app, following the attack on Ukraine’s Air Alert app.Asked about Trump, Zelensky described their relationship as “emotional” and urged Washington to put greater pressure on Putin rather than Ukraine. He also spoke about how Russia’s invasion had taken childhood from Ukrainian children, including his 13-year-old son, Kyrylo, in his remarks on the war’s impact on children.Zelensky said lifting Starshield restrictions could help Ukraine locate Russian ballistic missile launchers before they fire. He said he had raised the request with Trump three or four times and would use the system to target launch sites, not energy facilities, as he explained when discussing the missile-launcher targets. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.