According to a report, Elon Musk has been communicating regularly with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a variety of topics over the past two years.

The billionaire SpaceX owner and the Kremlin leader, still at war with Ukraine, have been discussing geopolitical divisions, business and personal issues since late 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing several current and former U.S., European and Russian officials.

During a conversation, Putin asked Musk not to turn on his Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favor to China, two people briefed the news outlet on the matter.

The request came late last year, a former Russian intelligence officer told the Journal.

Starlink does not have permission to offer internet services in Taiwan, which has placed restrictions on non-Taiwanese satellite operators, according to the outlet. A Starlink map shows the service date is currently unknown.

SpaceX, which operates Starlink, has dealings with the U.S. military and intelligence agencies and provides Musk with security clearance for some classified information. However, no warning signals were raised about possible security gaps in communications between Musk and Putin, the newspaper reported.

Still, a person briefed on the talks reportedly said, “They don't like it,” referring to the U.S. government's thoughts on the dialogue between Musk and Putin.

The federal government is faced with a conundrum because it relies so heavily on Musk's technologies, the person told the Journal.

Musk has not commented on the story, but has said in the past that it was “absurd” that he would be labeled an apologist for Russia.

Last year he came under fire after failing to activate his Starlink satellite internet network near the Crimean coast for a drone strike in Ukraine, but argued that his technology was not intended for military operations.

A Kremlin spokesman said the only contact Musk had with Putin was over the phone, during which the two discussed “space and current and future technologies.”

Musk has become a central figure in former President Donald Trump's campaign to retake the White House, appearing at rallies with the 45th president.

When asked about Musk's ties to Putin, Trump's campaign praised the Tesla CEO as “a once-in-a-generation industry leader,” while emphasizing that Trump will “restore peace through a strong foreign policy to deter Russia's aggression and… to end the war.” in Ukraine,” the Journal said.