Billionaire Elon Musk has denied a report that he spoke to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin before his controversial peace proposals in the Ukraine war.
That's not true, Musk wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.
"I only spoke to Putin once and that was 18 months ago," he added.
It was about space travel.
Musk is not only the boss of the electric car manufacturer Tesla, but also runs the space company SpaceX.
criticism for Musk
The 51-year-old star entrepreneur had proposed, among other things, that Ukraine renounce the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia to end the war and referendums in Russian-occupied areas.
In the face of Russian aggression, the ideas - which coincide with Russian ideas - provoked much criticism.
The website Vice previously reported, citing policy consultancy Eurasia Group, that Musk spoke to Putin before the tweets.
Eurasia Group boss Ian Bremmer referred to information from Musk himself in a message to the company's customers.
Russia recently announced the annexation of four occupied territories, which is not recognized internationally, after referendums that violate international law.
Musk also suggested making Taiwan a "special administrative region" under Chinese rule after the Ukraine ideas, sparking outrage from the Taipei government.