The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has showered praises on tech billionaire, Elon Musk describing him as an ‘outstanding person’ and businessman whose SpaceX company has become a key player in the space transportation industry.
Putin publicly praised Musk on Tuesday, just days after the South African-born, American-based businessman claimed he turned down a request from the Ukrainian government to activate his Starlink satellite communication network in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol in order to support an assault on Russia’s Black Sea fleet because he feared being implicated in a “major” act of war.
Putin did not mention the Starlink saga when speaking at an economic conference in the Far East of Russia. However, he was gushing with admiration when questioned about Musk’s SpaceX company’s accomplishment in flying rockets into orbit.
‘As far as private business and Elon Musk is concerned… he is undoubtedly an outstanding person. This must be recognised, and I think it is recognised all over the world,’ Putin said.
“He [Musk] is an active and talented businessman and he is succeeding a lot, including with the support of the American state,” he added.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Putin also offered a defence of former US President Donald Trump and the multiple criminal cases that he is facing.
The charges against Trump show the “rottenness of the American political system”, Putin said at the forum.
“What is happening with Trump is a persecution of a political rival for political motives.”
Trump is facing several separate criminal cases in the US, including being charged in federal court in Washington, DC with attempted election fraud over his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. In a Georgia state court, he is charged with election interference and in federal court in Florida, he faces charges for allegedly mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.
Earlier this month, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, one of the most hawkish voices in the Kremlin when it comes to Ukraine and the potential for a widening conflict with the West, also took to the Musk-owned X social media platform, previously known as Twitter, to praise Musk’s actions regarding Starlink, Crimea and Ukraine’s forces.
Medvedev described Musk as “the last adequate mind in North America”.
Ukrainian officials have criticised Musk’s decision to protect the Russian fleet from attack by Ukraine and US Democratic Party Senator Elizabeth Warren has called for an investigation of Musk’s actions.
The US Congress should investigate “whether we have adequate tools to make sure foreign policy is conducted by the government and not by one billionaire”, Warren said on Monday, according to the Bloomberg news agency.
Musk’s SpaceX firm won a contract from the US Department of Defense to provide Ukraine with Starlink satellite communication services.
Russia, which seized the strategic Crimean Peninsula in 2014 from Ukraine, bases its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and has used the fleet to blockade Ukrainian ports since its full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.
The Russian fleet also fires cruise missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets. Kyiv has launched attacks on Russian ships using maritime drones.
In a post on X last week, Musk said he had no choice but to reject an emergency request from Ukraine “to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol”.
Musk did not give the date of the request and the excerpt did not specify it.