Putin praises Musk as Russia and US edge closer on space
The Russian president described Elon Musk as a "real genius" and said Moscow was in close contact with the SpaceX owner to prevent satellite interference in orbit.
Vladimir Putin has described Elon Musk as a "real genius" after revealing that the two are in close contact about satellite technology. The Russian president made the remark during the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, where he discussed Rassvet, Russia's own satellite internet project.
"He's a genius, a real genius," Putin said of Musk, according to a BBC translation of his remarks. "We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk." Starlink is part of Musk's company SpaceX, which did not respond to a request for comment.
Putin added that it was important for Russia to be in contact with Musk so that Rassvet and Starlink satellites do not "interfere with each other in orbit". "We and our American partners value this mutually, and despite all the political questions, we are working hard," he said. Starlink has launched roughly 13,000 satellites, according to the company, while online trackers suggest only a couple of dozen Rassvet satellites are currently in orbit.
The Russian Embassy in South Africa said on Wednesday that Rassvet is "Russia's Starlink alternative" and "marks only the country's first steps in this field". "Russia maintains close contacts with the US on space, including with Elon Musk," the embassy wrote.
Putin's comments came as Washington and Moscow appear to be drawing closer, nearly five years since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine relied on Starlink internet to help keep Russia's forces at bay, but its military last week suddenly suffered connectivity problems, something Musk has admitted SpaceX caused intentionally.
Donald Trump said earlier this month that he had struck a deal with Russia to import diesel in an effort to lower petrol prices that have soared because of the US war with Iran. The US president then waived certain sanctions against Russia that were set to take effect. Not long afterwards, a US citizen was released from Russian custody, with the US envoy Steve Witkoff referring to Putin as a "humanitarian".
Musk was born in South Africa and later emigrated to Canada before settling in the US. All of his business ventures, including Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink, are based in America, with most operating out of California and Texas. The billionaire, and intermittently trillionaire, has been one of the biggest political allies and financiers of Trump and other Republican politicians.