‘Putin can’t afford me’: Elon Musk hits back at critics over ‘Russian asset’ allegations

DOGE chief Elon Musk on Thursday dismissed accusations of him being influenced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the leader cannot ‘afford’ him.

Musk’s comments come amid an ongoing controversy over his ally and US President Donald Trump’s pro-Russia stance regarding the war in Ukraine.

“People say, like, I’m a bought asset of Putin. I’m like, He can’t afford me,” Musk said, denying the allegations against him.

He made the comments onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbour, Maryland, where he received a hero’s welcome.

Elon Musk sat down for an interview with Newsmax's Rob Schmitt, who was hosting the CPAC event, as he made the comments jokingly.

As the audience cracked with laughter, Schmitt told Musk, “I think you're worth more than Russia.”

Who are they dying for, asks Elon Musk

In a follow-up question from Schmitt, who asked about the criticism Trump is facing for calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections”, Elon Musk questioned the loss of lives due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Talking about the war, he said, “First of all, we should have empathy for people dying on the front lines. That's the most important thing. How many more years is this supposed to go on? Imagine if this was your son or father, what are they dying for? The line of engagement has barely moved for two years and a whole bunch of people have died.”

US-Russia talks to discuss war in Ukraine

Earlier, United States and Russian officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to mediate peace amid an ongoing war of the Kremlin with Ukraine. However, Ukraine was not invited to engage in the talks.

Following the talks, Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections”.

Zelenskyy on Wednesday said that the “disinformation” is coming from Russia, and some of what Trump has said does echo Russia's own narrative of the conflict.

“You’ve been there for three years. You should have ended it ... You should have never started it. You could have made a deal,” Trump said, accusing Ukraine of starting the war.

“The leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4 per cent approval rating,” he added.