WASHINGTON — Tech mogul Elon Musk briefly joined President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Musk, who campaigned for Trump in the final weeks of the 2024 race, would not attend, according to the source, but walked into the room and greeted Zelenskyy. He was not part of any substantive conversation between the two leaders, the person said.
Neither Zelensky nor Trump had previously disclosed that Musk was on the phone. Axios first reported his participation, which was confirmed by other outlets.
Trump transition team officials declined requests for comment on Friday. Neither Musk nor the Ukrainian embassy in Washington DC immediately responded to requests for comment.
Zelenskyy described his conversation with Trump on Wednesday as “excellent.”
“We agreed to maintain close dialogue and promote our cooperation,” Zelenskyy continued in a message on X. “Strong and steadfast American leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace.”
Trump has previously claimed he could “settle” the war in a day, claiming that if he were elected president, “I could get it done before I even became president.” He has not drawn up a plan for this.
During Trump’s only debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump declined to say whether he wanted Ukraine, a U.S. ally, to win the war.
“I think it’s in the best interest of the United States to end this war and just get it done, OK,” he said. “Negotiating a deal.”
Newly elected Vice President JD Vance has also suggested that Ukraine should be willing to give up some of its territory to end the war.
Musk also had phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. The conversations were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Near the start of the war, after Russia invaded, Musk helped provide internet support to Ukraine. Starlink emergency receivers played a key role in helping Ukrainians communicate. Starlink systems are a service that is part of SpaceX, which Musk owns.
But he has also angered Ukrainians for suggesting the country would cede some of its territory to Russia. In October 2022, he proposed that Ukraine cede Crimea to Russia as part of a possible peace deal, drawing rebukes from Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
