Bill Gates has broken his silence on meeting with Jeffrey Epstein, saying he 'made a mistake in judgement' in befriending the pedophile.

The Microsoft co-founder, 64, has taken great pains to distance himself from Epstein since revelations about the financier's behavior with underage girls surfaced in recent months.

He told Axios last month that he 'wishes they never met' and insisted he had neither a 'business or personal relationship' with Epstein, who was found hanged aged 66 in his jail cell in August.

And speaking Wednesday Gates told the New York Times Dealbook Conference he 'made a mistake' meeting with the disgraced financier who he hoped would help raise money for his work with global health.

He said: 'That was a mirage. None of that money ever appeared, and I gave him some benefit by the association, so I made a doubly wrong mistake there.'

The billionaire, one of the richest men in the world, later threw shade at Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the richest, saying he has no desire to get involved in the race to space, adding: 'He can have it. Malnutrition is more important.'

Bill Gates, left, has broken his silence on meeting with Jeffrey Epstein, telling the New York Times Dealbook Conference he 'made a mistake in judgement' in befriending the pedophile. The Microsoft co-founder, 64, has taken great pains to distance himself from Epstein since revelations about the financier's behavior with underage girls surfaced in recent months

Speaking on Epstein Gates told The Wall Street Journal: 'There were people around [Epstein] who were saying, hey, if you want to raise money for global health and get more philanthropy, he knows a lot of rich people.'

He added Wednesday: 'There’s some countries that we just haven’t done any recruiting in at all because we’re not in a position to really make those judgments.

'I feel bad. We probably will at some point accept someone into the Giving Pledge and it will turn out that their fortune is a disreputable fortune. When you’re engaging in this, if you really want to get out there and get more people drawn into philanthropy, there is a risk that you’ll make a mistake.'

The New York Times reported in October that Gates befriended Epstein after the pedophile was convicted of sex crimes.

It was claimed that Gates and Epstein met numerous times beginning in 2011. In fact, Gates visited Epstein at least three times at Epstein's New York City townhouse, according to The Times.

The disgraced pedophile hanged himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August while he was awaiting trial on trafficking young girls

In March 2013, Gates flew on Epstein's private plane - the aircraft that has been dubbed the 'Lolita Express' because it was allegedly used to traffic young girls.

Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, told the Times that Gates was not aware that the plane belonged to Epstein.

In September of that year, Gates and Epstein met for dinner in New York to discuss philanthropy, according to Arnold.

By the end of 2014, Gates and Epstein were no longer in contact, prompting Epstein to complain to an acquaintance that Gates was shunning him, the Times is reporting.

The joint charitable fund that was discussed never came to be.

Epstein was first accused by the federal government of grooming underage girls to have sex with him in 2007.

But a controversial plea deal allowed Epstein to serve 13 months of an 18-month jail sentence - most of which he was allowed to serve at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida.

The deal did require Epstein to register as a sex offender.

Speaking Wednesday Gates told the New York Times Dealbook Conference, pictured, he 'made a mistake' meeting with the disgraced financier who he hoped would help raise money for his work with global health

In March 2013, Gates flew on Epstein's private plane - the aircraft that has been dubbed the 'Lolita Express' because it was allegedly used to traffic young girls, flight data above

Epstein was arrested by federal authorities in July and held at a Manhattan lockup, where he was found hanged before he could be tried for running a child prostitution ring.

After Epstein's shock death on August 10, Gates' named popped up as one of the high-powered men who potentially had some sort of working relationship with the disgraced businessman.

In 2011, Gates wrote in an email to colleagues: '[Epstein's] lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me.'

Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, told the Times that Gates 'was referring only to the unique décor of the Epstein residence - and Epstein's habit of spontaneously bringing acquaintances in to meet Mr. Gates.'

'It was in no way meant to convey a sense of interest or approval,' she said.

Arnold told the Times that Gates was introduced to Epstein by 'high-profile people.'

'Bill Gates regrets ever meeting with Epstein and recognizes it was an error in judgment to do so,' Arnold said.

'Gates recognizes that entertaining Epstein's ideas related to philanthropy gave Epstein an undeserved platform that was at odds with Gates's personal values and the values of his foundation.'