Elon Musk, a close Trump ally, lauded the upcoming US-Russia talks on X, stating, “This is what competent leadership looks like.”
Following the arrival of a Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia for the first direct US-Russia negotiations on Ukraine, Tesla, SpaceX, and X CEO Elon Musk voiced his approval. He shared a clip from Russian news coverage of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s delegation, adding the comment on X.
The video featured journalist Yevgeny Popov interviewing Yury Ushakov, President Putin’s foreign policy advisor, about the talks. Ushakov responded, “We will see. The most important thing right now is to begin a real normalization of relations between us and Washington,” on the tarmac.
Musk, who previously provided Ukraine with 20,000 Starlink terminals, has since urged against further escalation, warning in 2023, “We are sleepwalking our way into World War III with one foolish decision after the other.”
Tuesday’s meeting marks the first in-person US-Russia talks since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
While the Biden administration pursued a policy of isolating Russia, President Trump has advocated for swift mediation and criticized his predecessor’s focus on military aid to Kyiv over diplomacy. President Putin declared last year that attempts to isolate Russia had failed, citing strengthened ties with countries like China, India, and Brazil.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday and is expected to meet with Lavrov.
A February 12th phone call between Trump and President Putin angered Ukraine’s EU allies, who felt excluded from the conversation.
Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that Kyiv will not recognize any negotiations without its consent, acknowledging, however, a low chance of success without US backing.