New Delhi, Feb. 21 -- DOGE chief Elon Musk on Thursday dismissed accusations of him being influenced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the leader cannot 'afford' him.

Musk's comments come amid an ongoing controversy over his ally and US President Donald Trump's pro-Russia stance regarding the war in Ukraine.

"People say, like, I'm a bought asset of Putin. I'm like, He can't afford me," denying the allegations against him.

He made the comments onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbour, Maryland, where he received a hero's welcome.

Elon Musk sat down for an interview with Newsmax's Rob Schmitt, who was hosting the CPAC event, as he made the comments jokingly.

As the audience cracked with...