On 6 November, during a telephone conversation between US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, American businessman Elon Musk was ‘unexpectedly’ present. This was reported by Axios, citing its own sources.
After congratulating Zelenskyy on his victory, Trump reportedly assured him of continued support for Ukraine, but avoided giving details.
According to several sources, Zelenskyy was pleased with the conversation, noting that it did not exacerbate concerns about Trump’s election.
‘Zelenskyy was not left with a sense of despair,’ the source said.
Musk, who also joined the discussion, reiterated his readiness to continue supporting Ukraine through access to Starlink terminals. Musk did not comment on the details of the conversation.
According to sources in the know, Trump and Zelenskyy did not discuss deep political issues, including Trump’s plans to end the war or the prospects for US aid.
Earlier in September, Zelenskyy met with Trump in New York, where they discussed the war with Russia and possible diplomatic solutions. At the time, Trump assured Zelenskyy that he would not abandon Ukraine but would give diplomacy a chance.
Since that meeting, Zelenskyy’s team has been in contact with representatives of Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Ukraine and its leaders in public.
‘Nothing that Zelenskyy and his aides heard from Trump and his team in private was disturbing or made us feel that Ukraine would have to pay the price,’ the source added to Axios.
In addition, three sources familiar with the Ukrainian government’s assessments said that Kyiv is ready to take part in peace talks if possible. At the same time, they assume that the Kremlin will either refuse such talks or disrupt them with its own actions.
