Vladimir Putin says of Elon Musk that he is “a true genius”

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk “a genius” on Wednesday, October 28, and stated that Russia and the United States maintain close contacts in the field of space cooperation, despite the political tensions between the two countries. The statements were made in Moscow, on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit, held from October 28-29.

Putin praised the work of SpaceX’s CEO, stating that he has more than 5,000 spacecraft in orbit. Referring to the Russian Rassvet satellite network, the Kremlin leader said that Russia is still at the beginning of developing its own system.

The Russian president claimed that Moscow and Washington are competitors, but should not obstruct each other’s space activities. According to him, the two sides continue to cooperate, despite political problems.

The statements come after disputes over the operation of the Starlink service in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Musk’s technology of being restricted without warning at certain times. Ukraine later announced that the Starlink military service had resumed operation following a request made to Musk by Donald Trump. Musk explained that the restrictions are intended to prevent the satellites from becoming targets for Russian attacks.

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