Elon Musk's father to attend pro-Kremlin event in Russia hosted by far-right ideologue
Errol Musk, the father of U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, has arrived in Moscow to attend the Forum of the Future 2050, a pro-Kremlin event scheduled for June 9-10, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on June 8.
The report comes amid a high-profile public conflict between Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest businessman, and his former ally, U.S. President Donald Trump. In May, Musk announced he would step down as an advisor to Trump and as the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Since then, he has emerged as a major critic of the president.
The pro-Kremlin event will be hosted by the Tsargrad Institute and led by far-right Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin.
"I am eager to meet everyone. As far as I know, Russians are among the most intelligent people on the planet. It would be foolish not to ask their opinion on all sorts of issues," Errol Musk was quoted as saying by the Russian state news agency TASS.
Among the forum's panels are sessions titled "Russian Space: The Race for Mars" and "The Battle for Hearts and Minds: The Ideology of Sovereign Russia."
According to Kommersant, scheduled speakers include Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, and prominent state TV anchor Ekaterina Andreeva.
Errol Musk, a former South African businessman and politician, has publicly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him "a strong leader" and saying that "it would be foolish not to admire Putin" in an April interview with BBC Russia.
Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support Us
Errol's attendance at the far-right event comes amid growing scrutiny of his son, Elon Musk, whose role as the head of SpaceX and the Starlink satellite network places him at the center of both U.S. defense operations and Ukraine's battlefield communications.
SpaceX holds billions in Pentagon and NASA contracts, including a $1.8-billion agreement with the U.S. intelligence community to build a classified spy satellite system.
Despite initially aiding Ukraine by providing Starlink terminals to stabilize battlefield communications, Elon Musk has increasingly echoed Kremlin-aligned narratives.
He has suggested that President Volodymyr Zelensky lacks public support in Ukraine and has repeatedly called U.S. aid a driver of a "never-ending draft meat grinder."
Those statements have been warmly received by Russian officials, military bloggers, and state media outlets, which have praised Musk as a voice of reason and a critic of Western involvement in the war.
Dmitry Novikov, deputy chairman of the Russian parliament's international affairs committee, said on June 6 that Moscow is ready to grant political asylum to Musk following his public dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Read also: US expects Russia's retaliation for Operation Spiderweb to continue soon
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Putin Sends Trump Clear Message After U.S. Strikes on Iran
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday condemned Israel and U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Iran sent Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Moscow on Monday to lobby Putin for more support against Israel's act of war. 'The absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran has no basis and no justification,' Putin said to Araghchi during the meeting. 'We have long-standing, good, reliable relations with Iran. Russia and Iran are old allies. And while Putin has offered mediation and rhetorical reassurance, he has stopped short of fully joining the war or offering more concrete assistance, likely due to fear of further alienating President Trump and the U.S. in the midst of his own war on Ukraine. On Sunday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a top Putin ally, noted in a series of X posts that 'a number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.' This news, if true, could have cataclysmic implications. Iran is reportedly still weighing retaliation options against Israel and the United States. And how much actual support Russia can and will provide remains to be seen.
Forbes
25 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘Everyone, Keep Oil Prices Down,' Trump Says Without Context
President Donald Trump issued a warning to keep oil prices down in a cryptic Truth Social post Monday that comes amid fears oil and gas prices could surge if Iran retaliates against U.S. strikes by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump returns to the White House prior to a meeting with his National Security ... More Council to discuss the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel on June 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images) The Washington Post via Getty Images 'Everyone, keep oil prices down,' Trump said in an all-caps post, writing 'I'm watching! You're playing right into the hands of the enemy. Don't do it!' It's unclear who Trump was referring to, but it's possible he was addressing oil producers. In a subsequent post directed at the Department of Energy, Trump wrote 'DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!' The Energy Department does not drill for oil, but manages the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and provides research and policy support related to oil production, among other industry-adjacent functions. Oil prices were flat Monday following the U.S. military's surprise attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, but analysts warned prices could surge if Iran retaliates by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key transportation route for oil and gas that links the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. 30%. That's how much oil prices could rise, to up to $110 per barrel, if Iran moves to close the Strait and oil flow declines 50% for at least one month, Goldman Sachs cautioned Monday. Prices for international oil were flat Monday at $77 per barrel by 10 a.m. EDT. Key Background Iran has vowed to respond to the attack, with its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tweeting early Sunday that it 'reserves all options,' calling the attack 'outrageous' and vowing that it would 'have everlasting consequences.' Iranian parliament has approved a plan to potentially shut down the Strait, Iranian state media reported after the U.S. attacks Saturday. A quarter of global oil and 20% of liquefied natural gas is transported through the 90-mile waterway, according to The New York Times, which notes most of the oil that passes through the Strait goes to Asia. Iran would likely shut down the Strait by lacing it with mines, requiring the U.S. military to engage in a potentially dangerous demining operation, The Times notes. Rising Oil Prices Could Spike Another 30% If Iran Blocks Strait Of Hormuz, Goldman Warns (Forbes) U.S. Strikes Iran: 'Suspicious Package' Halts Miami Metro As U.S. Cities On Alert (Forbes) Trump's Strike On Iran Draws Criticism From Democrats—World Leaders Call For De-escalation (Forbes)
Associated Press
26 minutes ago
- Associated Press
NATO chief says Ukraine remains vital at summit despite Zelenskyy's absence from leaders' meeting
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte insisted Monday Ukraine would remain a vital topic at an alliance summit this week despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's absence from a leaders' meeting aiming to seal an agreement to boost military spending. 'You will see important language about Ukraine, including connecting the defense spending up to 2035 to Ukraine, and the need for Ukraine to stay in the fight,' Rutte told reporters on the eve of the two-day summit. 'This is a clear commitment by allies.' But the Ukrainian leader hasn't yet publicly confirmed he'll attend a dinner laid on for leaders attending the NATO summit, where his country has had a diplomatic downgrade from previous alliance meetings, even as leaders stress that their militaries need to muscle up to counter the threat of Russia. It's a big change since the summit in Washington last year, when the military alliance's weighty communique included a vow to supply long-term security assistance to Ukraine, and a commitment to back the country 'on its irreversible path' to NATO membership. But with Zelenskyy's relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump still strained since a testy Oval Office meeting earlier this year, finding a place for the Ukrainian leader at NATO's top table has proved a bridge too far. There are other meetings scheduled for Zelenskyy at the summit, but the doors remain shut to the leaders' working meeting Wednesday, even as Rutte acknowledged how heavily the war weighs on the leaders. 'Of course, the most significant and direct threat facing this alliance remains the Russian Federation,' he said. 'Moscow continues to wage war against Ukraine with the support of North Korea, Iran and China, as well as Belarus.' Rutte stressed that the alliance is underwriting Ukraine's defense to the tune of billions of euros. European allies and Canada, 'will provide over €35 billion of additional security assistance to Ukraine for the year ahead,' he said. 'So in a couple of months, we went from €20 billion to €35 billion. And I think that is great news.' Meanwhile, Moscow bombarded Ukraine with 352 drones and decoys, as well as 11 ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles overnight Monday, Ukraine's air force said, killing at least 14 people and injuring several dozen others.
