Elon Musk's peace plan for Ukraine draws condemnation from Zelenskyy
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Loading... - Arthur Garcia
- 05 Oct 2022
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Elon Musk has gotten into a Twitter tussle with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the tech billionaire floated a divisive proposal to end Russia's invasion.
The Tesla CEO, soon facing a court fight over his attempt to abandon a $44 billion offer to buy Twitter, argued in a tweet Monday that to reach peace Russia should be allowed to keep the Crimea Peninsula that it seized in 2014. He also said Ukraine should adopt a neutral status, dropping a bid to join NATO following Russia's partial mobilization of reservists.
Musk also crossed red lines for Ukraine and its supporters by suggesting that four regions Russia is moving to annex following Kremlin-orchestrated "referendums" denounced by the West as a sham should hold repeat votes organized by the United Nations.
Musk noted Crimea was part of Russia until it was given to Ukraine under the Soviet Union in 1950s and said that a drawn-out war will likely not end in a resounding Ukrainian victory.
Zelenskyy considers Musk's plan pro-Russia
These positions are anathema for Zelenskyy, who considers them pro-Kremlin. The Ukrainian leader has pledged to recover all the terrain conquered in the war and considers Crimea as Ukraine's to reclaim as well.
Musk also launched a Twitter poll asking whether "the will of the people" should decide if seized regions remain part of Ukraine or become part of Russia.
In a sarcastic response, Zelenskyy posted a Twitter poll of his own asking "which Elon Musk do you like more?": "One who supports Ukraine" or "One who supports Russia."
Musk replied to Zelenskyy that "I still very much support Ukraine, but am convinced that massive escalation of the war will cause great harm to Ukraine and possibly the world."
Andrij Melnyk, the outgoing Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, responded to Musk's original tweet with an obscenity. Read More...
