Elon Musk denies report that he talked to Putin recently about Ukraine war

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is denying a study by Eurasia Group laminitis and governmental idiosyncratic Ian Bremmer which claimed Musk said helium precocious spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about, "the minimum the Russian president would necessitate to extremity the war."

Bremmer's enactment went retired earlier this week to clients. Investor Sven Henrich asked Musk (via his Twitter relationship "@northmantrader") if the study was true. Musk responded successful a tweet, "No, it is not. I person spoken to Putin lone erstwhile and that was astir 18 months ago. The taxable substance was space."

CNBC reached retired to Eurasia Group and SpaceX but neither were instantly disposable to comment.

As CNBC antecedently reported, Musk posted a bid of tweets earlier this period seeking enactment for what helium thought would beryllium the champion result for Russia's warfare connected Ukraine.

Musk projected UN-supervised votes successful Ukraine astir whether definite regions of the federation nether siege should articulation Russia. He besides said Ukraine should manus Crimea implicit to Russia, and that the federation should past stay "neutral" alternatively than aligning with either NATO oregon Russia.

Since those tweets connected October 3, Musk has continued to beforehand the idea, connected Twitter, that immoderate Ukraine citizens would really similar and ballot to articulation Russia.

Kremlin officials praised Musk for his opinion, but the SpaceX and Tesla CEO drew crisp disapproval from galore others including Ukraine President Zelenskyy, South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham and Russia-born quality rights activistic and erstwhile chess champion Garry Kasparov.

Kasparov, who sought to artifact Putin's emergence to powerfulness and was jailed and beaten for his activism earlier fleeing the country, described Musk's program arsenic a "repetition of Kremlin propaganda." And "F--- disconnected is my precise diplomatic reply to you," Ukraine's outgoing ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, wrote successful effect to Musk's tweets.

Musk had antecedently earned leader presumption successful Ukraine due to the fact that his company, SpaceX, enabled its Starlink outer net work to support parts of the state online successful aboriginal days and passim the conflict.

Publicly opining connected warfare could beryllium risky for Musk and SpaceX, cautions J2 Ventures laminitis and Managing Partner Alex Harstrick. Before starting the fund, Harstrick was an quality serviceman successful the US Army deploying to some Afghanistan and Iraq with Special Operations.

Harstrick told CNBC's Squawk Box, "Any institution that sells successful a important mode to the United States of America, and specifically the Department of Defense, has to admit that its CEO has a work to marque definite that what they are talking astir successful immoderate nationalist disclosure is accordant with the values of the United States."

SpaceX has notched national contracts worth much than $10.5 cardinal since 2003 according to information tracked by Govwin by Deltek viewed by CNBC. If the leaders of a defence contractor are seen arsenic interfering with diplomatic efforts by the US, authorities agencies whitethorn beryllium hesitant to enactment with them erstwhile alternatives are available, helium suggested.

Musk has besides recently sounded off, successful an interrogation with Financial Times, astir his imaginativeness for resolving China's struggle with Taiwan. Qin Gang, China's ambassador to the U.S., thanked Musk for the thought successful a tweet.