President-elect Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk reportedly spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday morning, signaling that Mr. Trump and his allies are quickly ramping up efforts to get cease-fire talks between Kyiv and Moscow off the ground.
The phone call, and Mr. Musk’s involvement in it, may offer a window into Mr. Trump’s thinking on the Russia-Ukraine war and how he intends to use his first weeks in office to push for negotiations between Mr. Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the call, Mr. Musk reportedly told Mr. Zelenskyy that he will allow Ukraine to keep using his Starlink satellites for internet access. Those satellites have been crucial to Ukraine’s fight against Russia, and a promise from Mr. Musk that Ukraine will have continued access to them might suggest that the Trump administration isn’t looking to cut off all U.S. military, financial and logistical support to Kyiv, as some had feared.
Mr. Musk also reportedly had several conversations with Mr. Putin, suggesting that his participation in Friday’s phone call is not a one-off and that he could play a significant role in facilitating talks between the two sides.
Axios first reported the phone call, citing several sources with knowledge of the conversation.
Mr. Trump, who handily defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in this week’s presidential election, has repeatedly said he will move quickly to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which is approaching its third anniversary. Critics fear that Mr. Trump could force Ukraine — with threats of cutting off American military assistance or through other means — to give up territory to Russia. But Mr. Trump also has said that the peace terms floated earlier this year by Mr. Putin, which included such territorial concessions by Ukraine, were “not acceptable” to him.
Mr. Zelenskyy has expressed optimism in the days since Mr. Trump’s election.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ’peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership,” he wrote on X. “We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.”
Mr. Putin this week said his country is open to repairing its relationship with the U.S., though Kremlin officials also dubbed America “an unfriendly country” because of its support for Ukraine.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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