The Wall Street Journal revealed Thursday night that the world's richest man, Elon Musk, has been in "regular contact" with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2022.
Musk's discussions with Putin, which were confirmed by several current and former US, European and Russian officials, revolved around personal matters as well as business and geopolitical tensions.
According to the newspaper, Elon Musk has been in regular communication with Vladimir Putin, who in one of their conversations asked him not to activate the Starlink network in Taiwan as a "favor" to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Starlink never secured a license to provide internet services in Taiwan, whose government places restrictions on non-Taiwanese satellite companies.
Musk emerged this year as a key supporter of Donald Trump's election campaign, and if Trump wins, he could have a role in the new administration.
While the US and its allies have isolated Putin in recent years, Musk's dialogue with him could mark the start of a new round of talks with the Russian leader, bolstering Trump's expressed desire to reach an agreement with Russia on the war in Ukraine.