Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday included two surprises: Elon Musk was also on the line, and Zelensky was somewhat reassured by what he heard from the president-elect, two sources with knowledge of the call tell Axios.
Why it matters: The new details of the call underscore how influential Musk could be in the second Trump administration, and the uncertainty over how exactly Trump will approach Ukraine.
Between the lines: Trump’s public messages throughout the election campaign — promising a quick resolution to the war, declining to say which side he wanted to win and criticizing the massive aid packages flowing from Washington — raised alarm bells in Kyiv and throughout Europe.
The Biden administration is now looking for ways to get as much military assistance as possible to Ukraine ahead of Jan. 20, when Trump could turn off the spigot.
But the private conversations Trump and his team have had with Zelensky and his advisers over the last two months — including on Wednesday — were somewhat more reassuring to the Ukrainians, the sources say.
Zelensky himself felt the fact that the call happened so soon after Trump was declared the winner was a positive sign, one of the sources told Axios. Trump has yet to speak with Vladimir Putin since the election, but the Russian president said he will pick up if Trump calls.
MORE:
https://www.axios.com/2024/11/08/musk-trump-zelensky-ukraine-call