Musk drops out of Trump’s orbit: Official assesses whether this could benefit Ukraine
Photo: Advisor to the Head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podolyak (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
American billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, has almost disappeared from Donald Trump’s public sphere. This carries a positive aspect for Ukraine, states Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the President's Office, in a commentary to the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel.
According to Podolyak, Ukraine should approach any public statements by Trump with understanding but continue working with high-level US officials such as Secretary of State Mark Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — in other words, people who shape the US position.
The advisor to the Head of the President's Office noted the reduced role Elon Musk previously played for Trump in moderating various processes. Since around mid-April, Musk has been almost absent from the US president’s public space, and Trump no longer refers to him.
"We remember Musk’s position, his influence, and so on. In my view, it’s precisely the professional influence of people like Mr. Rubio that will matter in shaping, I believe, a more balanced US stance toward Russia. Why? Because assuming that Putin is capable of making deals, that he is truly ready for concessions, or for genuine negotiations without pressure — that’s unrealistic," Podolyak said.
Trump cools on Musk
After Donald Trump returned to the White House, billionaire Elon Musk was appointed head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He initiated sweeping cuts to federal agencies, resulting in the dismissal of thousands of civil servants.
Earlier, Politico reported that following the wave of layoffs, Trump decided to limit Musk’s authority.
At the end of April, amid declining profits at Tesla, Elon Musk announced that he would reduce his time working at DOGE to just one or two days a week, choosing instead to focus on managing his own companies.
Recently, Politico noted that Musk has disappeared from Trump’s public sphere. Journalists observed that the US president no longer mentions Elon Musk on the social network Truth Social, whereas previously he did so every few days. Mentions of Musk have also vanished from the official White House accounts.
