BRICS Member Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is calling for the country to partner with Elon Musk, according to Deputy CEO of Gazprombank Dmitry Zauers. The Russian Bank’s CEO says that Putin spoke to him about joining forces with Musk to advance the country’s technology development.

JUST IN: 🇷🇺🇺🇸 President Putin calls to join forces with Elon Musk to advance technology development, Russian State Media reports. pic.twitter.com/IomkNYl3Vu

— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) February 21, 2025

“Join forces with Musk,” Putin reportedly told Zauers. “When he is finished reforming administrative agencies in the US, he will get back go back to science. You should work with him. We are already negotiating to work together in space, we can collaborate in this sphere also,” the Russian leader added.

Zauers says he told the Russian President about domestically produced batteries used in aerospace applications and neurochips. They are “our answer to Elon Musk,” the banker said, as Musk is a giant in the tech industry himself. However, Putin wants to partner with the Tesla and SpaceX founder, not rival him.

Russia and the US: Elon Musk to Serve as the Bridge for Partnership?

Putin and Russia have explored several working relationships with the US and US representatives in the past few months since Donald Trump’s presidential nomination. Recent reports reveal that Russia is now eyeing deals with the Trump administration to save its economy from collapsing.

Indeed, the two countries discussed possible cooperation on energy projects in the Arctic during a meeting in Saudi Arabia. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the state-owned Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) confirmed that both sides negotiated some “specific areas of cooperation” and also discussed other economic policies in broad strokes.

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Elon Musk has yet to comment on the reported request by Russia’s Vladimir Putin. While Donald Trump works to battle BRICS, the DOGE department leader has previously been in contact with the Russian President. It’s unclear if Musk would accept such a partnership, as he’s previously said Russia “can’t afford me.”