Bad News For The Kremlin

• 7.06.2025, 11:49

The Russian Federation is losing more than just an ally in Washington.

Donald Trump calls the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), until recently the richest man on the planet, Ilon Musk - obsessed, and won't talk to him. The two got into a bitter row after the billionaire was gradually squeezed out of government service, and then he sharply criticized Donald Trump for a law on tax breaks that didn't go to Musk's companies.

In addition, Musk is so furious that his protege, billionaire Jared Isaacman, was not confirmed to head NASA, which threatens to bury American manned space exploration. Musk has even endorsed the idea of impeaching Trump. This conflict will clearly have serious consequences not only inside the United States, but may affect U.S.-Russian relations, and even favorably affect the political situation in the European Union.

Musk is in charge of everything

Ilon Musk is not just one of the richest, but maybe even, despite the decline in the stock price of his companies, still the richest man on the planet. If his own statements are to be believed, he is one of the most important backers of Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the 2024 election. The billionaire calls the US president's behavior "ingratitude" and claims that without him, there would not have been such a triumphant victory for Trump and the Republicans' control of the Senate.

In light of such merits, if there really were any, Ilon Musk has clearly claimed a leading role in Donald Trump's administration - at least an informal one. Early on, after President Trump, then still elected but not in office, took office, Musk allowed himself to participate in his international phone calls. He actually moved into the Mar-a-Lago residence. And even at the head of DOGE (although as it turned out later, he was not even the formal head there), Musk interfered in the work of literally all ministries and agencies in the United States, managed to close some of them, such as USAID, and radically reform others.

It is no secret that in the new American administration Musk was one of the most ideologically close to the Kremlin. It's no secret, for example, that Musk was in contact with Vladimir Putin even before Trump came to power. He also harshly criticized Ukraine and Zelensky. So we can say that the billionaire was one of the catalysts of the new American leader's flirtation with the Kremlin, which was expressed, in particular, in conducting months-long negotiations to end the war in Ukraine in the format of "appeasement of the aggressor."

It is impossible to say that for Donald Trump's relationship with Vladimir Zelensky (whom the American president dislikes) or Vladimir Putin (whom he never tires of praising, despite his critical statements), the transition of Ilon Musk to the opposition (and he is already threatening to start funding the Democratic Party through his aides) will be a decisive factor.

There are enough people in Donald Trump's inner circle, starting at least with Special Commissioner Steve Whitkoff, who are bent on pleasing the Kremlin and trying to build mutually beneficial economic relations with it, ignoring the maniacal desire of Vladimir Putin and his circle to eliminate Ukraine as an independent state and Ukrainians as a nation. Yet the Kremlin has clearly lost one of its long-established channels for influencing Trump. With the U.S. leadership increasingly forced to recognize Russia's outright unwillingness to discuss a ceasefire and long-term peace with Ukraine, at least at this stage, it will likely be difficult for the Russians to find new channels of communication and influence of this magnitude. Especially since it's in Donald Trump's nature to act to spite his adversaries, which could include Ilon Musk.

Billions Against Trump

It's not just about relations with the Trump administration. The Kremlin is also losing an ally in Europe, where Ilon Musk has not only spoken out for the far-right himself, but also pushed Trump to do so. There are plenty of examples of this. Musk not only supported the German far-right party Alternative for Germany, but even spoke at its pre-election convention.

He demanded the resignation of the British government and early elections in the UK, promising support for another far-right party, Reform United Kingdom, although he then demanded the replacement of its leader Nigel Farage. In France, he was a supporter of Marine Le Pen and her "Rassemblement Nationale" and called the sentence against her from running for office "political". The list could go on for a very long time, and would include many other European countries, starting with Romania, where Musk supported a pro-Russian presidential candidate.

In other words, not long ago the Kremlin had an ally in its policy of destabilizing individual countries of the European Union and the EU as a whole, albeit a rambling one with its own capital. Although the U.S. relationship with Europe is likely to remain cool after Musk's departure, Putin should start mourning Musk. After all, he helped the Kremlin save so much energy and money, albeit indirectly.

Ivan Preobrazhensky, German Wave