Tesla CEO Elon Musk has denied a claim that he spoke directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks about the war in Ukraine and a proposed “peace plan” to end the conflict.
Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, American political scientist Ian Bremmer, president of political consulting firm Eurasia Group, claimed Musk told him directly about his conversation with Putin last month.
In a tweet Tuesday, however, Musk said he hadn’t spoken with Putin in over a year.
“I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago,” Musk tweeted. “The subject matter was space.”
Bremmer initially declined to comment further on his conversation with Musk — but later reiterated his claim on Twitter.
“Elon Musk told me he had spoken with Putin and the Kremlin directly about Ukraine. He also told me what the Kremlin’s red lines were,” Bremmer wrote.
Musk tweeted a succinct response: “Nobody should trust Bremmer.”
Eurasia Group is a political risk research and consulting firm that reports on emerging and developed economies. Bremmer, who is often cited by mainstream media, has also been involved with international organizations including the World Economic Forum.
The exchange comes after Musk tweeted a “Ukraine-Russia peace plan” last week that reflected demands Kremlin officials have made repeatedly in recent months, including that Kyiv commit to military neutrality, acknowledge that Crimea is formally part of Russia, and ensure continued water supply to the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
