OMM Newsroom
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk a “real genius” on Wednesday and said Moscow was in close contact with the entrepreneur about satellite technology, according to the BBC.
Putin made the remarks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, where he discussed Russia’s Rassvet satellite internet project, which provides internet connections from satellites.
“He’s a genius, a real genius,” Putin said of Musk. “We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk.”
“Starlink” is part of Musk’s company “SpaceX”. The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Putin said it was important for Russia to stay in contact with Musk to ensure that Rassvet and “Starlink” satellites do not “interfere with each other in orbit”. He said both sides valued the contact and were working hard despite political differences.
“SpaceX” says it has launched roughly 13,000 “Starlink” satellites. Online satellite trackers indicate that only a couple of dozen Rassvet satellites are currently in orbit.
The Russian Embassy in South Africa described Rassvet on Wednesday as “Russia’s Starlink alternative” and said it “marks only the country’s first steps in this field”. The embassy also said Russia maintained close contacts with the US on space, including with Musk.
Putin’s comments came as the US and Russia appeared to be growing closer, with nearly five years approaching since Putin launched Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine has relied on “Starlink” internet in its efforts to hold back Russian forces. Last week, its military suddenly experienced connectivity problems with the service; Musk acknowledged that “SpaceX” had intentionally caused them.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said he had reached a deal with Russia to import diesel in an effort to reduce gas prices, which had risen sharply because of the US war with Iran. Trump then waived certain sanctions against Russia that were due to take effect.
Soon afterwards, a US citizen was released from Russian custody. US envoy Steve Witkoff referred to Putin as a “humanitarian”.
Musk was born in South Africa and later immigrated to Canada before settling in the US. His business ventures, including “Tesla”, “SpaceX” and “Starlink”, are based in America, with most operating out of California and Texas.
The billionaire, who has at times been described as a trillionaire, has been among the biggest political allies and financiers of Trump and other Republican US politicians.
