Elon Musk’s ongoing conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin have raised intense scrutiny and concern, sparking intrigue and controversy on the world stage. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Musk has reportedly been in “regular contact” with Putin for years, with recent conversations taking an unexpected twist: Putin allegedly asked Musk not to deploy Starlink, his SpaceX-owned satellite internet service, over Taiwan.
The reason? China’s President Xi Jinping, a close ally of Putin, supposedly doesn’t want Starlink operating in Taiwan’s airspace. Framing the request as a “favor,” Putin may be using Musk to align powerful tech interests with geopolitical ones, drawing one of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs into an international tug-of-war.
Taiwan, however, is prepared to push back. The island’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has openly invited satellite internet companies, including Starlink, to apply for licenses to operate within its borders, underscoring its desire for independent and resilient internet services. Starlink’s current coverage map lists Taiwan as “Coming Soon,” though no launch date has been confirmed, leaving the region—and the world—wondering if Starlink will face pressure from both sides.
Musk’s interactions with Putin have raised concern within the U.S. government, where officials worry about his deepening entanglements with global powers, especially as Musk possesses U.S. top-secret security clearance. Notably, Musk’s SpaceX also secured a $1.8 billion classified contract with the Department of Defense in 2021, potentially involving advanced surveillance or intelligence-gathering satellites. With Starlink’s capabilities being leveraged by Ukraine against Russian forces, the U.S. and allied nations view Starlink as a critical asset in modern conflicts—an asset that Russia has threatened multiple times to attack.
The Kremlin has attempted to downplay Musk’s ties to Moscow, claiming he and Putin only spoke once in 2021 about “space and future technologies.” However, sources suggest Musk has indeed spoken with Russian officials—including Putin’s first deputy chief of staff, linked by the Justice Department to Russian disinformation campaigns on Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter).
Musk’s global influence and his platform’s role in information dissemination have only added to these concerns, as U.S. officials worry about the potential for influence on or interference with Starlink operations in contested regions.
The tensions around Starlink in Ukraine have also been escalating. Russia has warned that it might target Starlink satellites in orbit over concerns about surveillance. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue to rely heavily on Starlink for secure communication, prompting Russia to reportedly turn to black-market sources to procure Starlink dishes for its own communications as it advances in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, Russia allegedly caused a major Starlink outage in Ukraine, possibly using a sophisticated anti-satellite system. And now, recent reports suggest that Russia may have found another workaround: retrofitting Starlink equipment on its military drones in an apparent effort to use Starlink’s capabilities against Ukraine, exploiting a loophole in U.S. export controls.
As Musk’s tech empire, foreign policy, and security interests increasingly intersect, the line between entrepreneur and diplomat blurs further, leaving both allies and rivals to wonder where Musk’s allegiances lie. The tech billionaire’s influence now appears as vast as the sky Starlink satellites orbit, casting a long shadow over global security, diplomacy, and the shifting dynamics of modern warfare.
