Kremlin Denies Reports Musk Talked to Putin Before Unveiling His Ukrainian Settlement Plan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied on Wednesday claim that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin before he released his plan to settle the Ukrainian conflict.

"I can only confirm to you that, indeed, they had a telephone conversation about a year and a half ago," Peskov told reporters.

On Tuesday, US media reported that Musk spoke with Putin prior to publishing a Twitter poll proposing a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, for which he was criticized and derided by senior Ukrainian officials. Musk later denied the reports, saying that he only spoke with Putin one time, about space, approximately 18 months ago.

The plan, announced by the billionaire, suggests neutral status of Ukraine and UN-supervised referendums in Donbass, the Kherson region and Zaporozhye region, and does not dispute the status of Crimea as part of Russia.

A woman casts her ballot during the referendum on the joining of Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republic and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions of Ukraine to Russia

© Sputnik / Pavel Bednyakov

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The four territories already held referendums last month, with people overwhelmingly voting to join Russia. In October, the treaties were adopted by the Russian parliament, and the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as Zaporozhye region and Kherson region, became part of Russia.