Putin hails Elon Musk as an 'outstanding person' and businessman

FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk gestures as he attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday hailed South African-born businessman Elon Musk as an "outstanding person" and businessman whose SpaceX company had become a major player in the space transportation industry.

Putin's public praise of Musk comes days after the U.S.-based entrepreneur said he refused a Ukrainian request last year to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol to aid an attack on Russia's fleet there, saying he feared complicity in a "major" act of war.