Elon Musk’s father attends pro‑Kremlin forum in Moscow as Russia hints at asylum offer amid Trump feud

Key Information:

• Errol Musk is attending the "Future Forum 2050" in Moscow, a propaganda-driven conference backed by Russian ideologues and oligarchs.
• He defended Donald Trump and called Elon Musk’s criticism a "mistake", attributing the feud to stress and fatigue.
• Russian MP Dmitry Novikov said Moscow could offer Elon Musk asylum, but the Kremlin publicly distanced itself, calling it a U.S. domestic matter.
• Errol Musk praised Vladimir Putin and repeated discredited claims about Ukraine, aligning with Russian state narratives.
• The feud between Trump and Musk has already shaken markets, as Musk vows to end key U.S. space collaborations and Tesla stock tumbles.

Errol Musk, the father of tech billionaire Elon Musk, has stirred controversy by attending a Kremlin-backed forum in Moscow, while his son remains embroiled in an escalating political clash with U.S. President Donald Trump. The South African entrepreneur arrived in the Russian capital to attend the "Future Forum 2050", a two-day event hosted by the nationalist Tsargrad Institute and fronted by Alexander Dugin, a chief architect of Russia’s ideological drive.

During televised interviews with pro-Kremlin outlets REN-TV and Tsargrad, Musk Sr. lamented the growing rift between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, describing it as "a mistake" brought on by months of relentless stress. "They’re exhausted and tense, so something like this isn’t unusual," he said. He also insisted the conflict was not serious, predicting that the two men would reconcile in due time.

The remarks come at a time when the Kremlin has been carefully navigating its response to the Musk-Trump feud. On Friday, Russian MP Dmitry Novikov told state news agency TASS that Moscow could offer Elon Musk political asylum if needed. "If he did [need asylum], of course, Russia could offer it," Novikov said. However, he added that Musk was "playing a completely different game" and likely had no need for such a move. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later told reporters the matter was a "domestic issue" for the United States, and declined to comment further.

Meanwhile, Errol Musk’s participation in the Moscow forum has amplified scrutiny. Topics at the conference include "The Race for Mars," "Digital Sovereignty," and "The Ideology of Sovereign Russia," with speakers such as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and state media figures known for spreading Kremlin-aligned messaging.

"If you view him simply as a man, not in the context of international politics, it’s hard not to have respect for Mr. Putin," he told BBC Russian.

He also cast doubt on the origins of the war in Ukraine, claiming, "Only in time will it be possible to understand who really started it." On a podcast, he further promoted discredited claims about Western biolaboratories on Ukrainian territory, rejected NATO expansion, and called Ukraine a "patched together" country.

Back in the U.S., tensions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump have escalated. After Musk resigned from a federal cost-cutting agency and criticised Trump’s spending policies, the president accused him of betrayal. Musk had previously donated $300 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign and claimed credit for helping secure his re-election. Following the fallout, Tesla shares plunged, and Musk announced plans to withdraw from a major U.S. space programme.

International reactions to the forum and the Musk-Trump feud have ranged from muted concern to outright alarm. While Russian state media has amplified Errol Musk’s presence in Moscow, Western analysts warn that the Kremlin may use such high-profile associations to legitimise its narratives and drive wedges between U.S. political factions.

Source: Newsweek, The Moscow Times