In one of the conversations, Putin asked Musk not to activate Starlink satellite internet over Taiwan, as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Elon Musk’s secret conversations with Vladimir Putin are drawing the attention of top leaders at NASA, the space agency that increasingly depends on Musk’s SpaceX to carry out important missions.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, 24, that Musk and Putin have been in regular contact since 2022. The president of Russia asked the businessman to avoid activating his Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan, as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

“I don’t know if this story is true. I think it should be investigated,” said NASA administrator Bill Nelson this Friday, 25. “If the story that there were several conversations between Elon Musk and the president of Russia If true, I think that would be concerning, especially for NASA, the Department of Defense and some of the intelligence agencies.”

Musk did not deny the details of the report, but alluded to the story in several posts on his social media platform X. In one of them, he posted two laughing emojis in response to a user who joked that he could be a Russian agent.

White House officials said they were aware of the WSJ story today. “I am not in a position to corroborate the veracity of these reports, and we would refer Mr. Musk to his private communications,” said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council.