Putin claims close cooperation with Musk on satellite operations

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed close cooperation with Elon Musk on satellite operations despite political tensions, praising the SpaceX founder as "genuinely brilliant" during a Russia-Africa summit exhibition visit on Wednesday. Putin stated Russia maintains "tight contacts" with Musk and American partners to ensure orbital discipline and avoid interference between satellite constellations, noting SpaceX operates over 5,000 devices while Russia takes its "first steps" in low-orbit systems. The remarks follow Musk's recent claims that Ukraine used Starlink for drone strikes, which Kyiv denied, and the lifting of Starlink speed restrictions for Ukraine confirmed by its defense ministry and President Zelensky.