After Trump's conflict with Musk, Russia lost not only an ally in Washington, but also one of its channels of influence over Trump. Putin has reason to mourn Musk - he helped the Kremlin save energy and money on propaganda.
Donald Trump believes that the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk, who was until recently the richest man on the planet, is “crazy” and does not want to talk to him. They entered into a sharp feud after the billionaire was gradually pushed out of government office, and he, in turn, sharply criticized Trump for his tax relief law, from which Musk's companies were excluded. Musk even supported the idea of impeaching Trump. This conflict will obviously have serious consequences in the United States, but it may also affect US-Russian relations. As well as the political situation in the European Union.
Musk - an expert in everything
Elon Musk is not only one of the richest, but is probably still the richest person on the planet, despite the decline in the stock price of his company. If you believe his own statements, he is one of the most important sponsors of Trump and the Republican Party for the 2024 elections. The billionaire calls the behavior of the US president “ingratitude” and claims that without him, the triumphant victory of Trump and the Republicans in the Senate simply would not have happened.
In light of these merits, if they are indeed a fact, Musk demanded a leading role in the Trump administration and as the head of DOGE (although he was not formally the boss) interfered in the work of literally all ministries and departments in the US – he managed to close some of them, such as the USAID agency, and radically reformed others.
It is no secret that in ideological terms Musk was one of the closest people to the Kremlin in the new American administration. It is also no secret that he had been in contact with Vladimir Putin even before Trump came to power. In addition, he was sharply critical of Ukraine and Zelensky. Therefore, it can be said that the billionaire was one of the people who stimulated the new American president's flirtation with the Kremlin. This fact led to months of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine in the form of "appeasing the aggressor".
The Kremlin is losing one of its channels of influence over Trump
However, it cannot be said that Elon Musk's move into opposition (he is already threatening through his aides that he will start financing the Democratic Party) will become a decisive factor in Donald Trump's relations with Volodymyr Zelensky (whom the American president dislikes) or with Vladimir Putin (whom he never tires of praising despite individual critical statements).
There are enough people in Trump's entourage, such as special envoy Steve Witkoff, who are inclined to please the Kremlin and try to build mutually beneficial relations with it, ignoring the manic desire of Vladimir Putin and his associates to liquidate Ukraine as an independent state, and the Ukrainians – as a nation.
However, the Kremlin is clearly losing one of its long-established channels of influence over Trump. Given that the American leadership is increasingly forced to acknowledge Russia's direct reluctance to discuss a ceasefire and long-term peace with Ukraine at this stage, it will be difficult for the Russians to find new channels of connection and influence of this magnitude. Moreover, Donald Trump is known for defying his opponents, among whom Elon Musk may now be one.
Billions in support of far-right forces in Europe
But things are not limited to relations with the Trump administration. The Kremlin is also losing an ally in Europe, where Elon Musk not only spoke out in support of the far-right, but also encouraged Trump to do the same. There are many examples of this. Musk supported the far-right party “Alternative for Germany“ and even took part in its pre-election congress.
He demanded the resignation of the British government and early elections in the UK, promising support for other far-right parties - the "Reform UK" party, although he later demanded the removal of its leader Nigel Farage. In France, he sided with Marine Le Pen and her "National Rally", calling the verdict that banned her from participating in elections "political". The list is long and could include many other European countries, starting with Romania, where Musk supported the pro-Russian presidential candidate.
In other words, until recently, the Kremlin had a chaotic but clear ally in its policy of destabilizing individual EU countries and the Community as a whole, and one who had his own capital. And although after Musk's departure, US relations with Europe will most likely remain cool, Putin has reason to mourn Musk - he helped the Kremlin save both energy and money, albeit indirectly.
This comment expresses the personal opinion of the author and may not coincide with the positions of the Bulgarian editorial office and DW as a whole.