Key Takeaways:
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk has asked Ukraine to sign peace with Russia
- His pro-Russian tweets have been met with criticism from Ukrainian officials, including president Zelensky
- Tesla shares are down 8% amid admiration from the Kremlin for Musk's tweets
YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — Tech billionaire and TESLA CEO Elon Musk has found himself in a fresh controversy. In a bizarre turn of events, he has openly thrown his weight behind Russia, drawing global anger and condemnation. Responding rather harshly to his Twitter poll, Andrij Melnyk, Ukraine’s outgoing ambassador to Germany, even asked him to “F**ck off”.
Musk drew the ire of the online community after he created a poll asking people if they agreed with his idea about how Ukraine and Russia could sign a lasting peace agreement.
With still hours to go before the poll ends, around 60% of participants have agreed with him. Nonetheless, many are left wondering why he has decided to please Vladimir Putin after his initial support for Ukraine.
Earlier this year, the world’s richest man had drawn worldwide admiration after he announced his company STARLINK would provide internet services to the country amid the Russian invasion.
Recommended: Oil Prices Rally As OPEC Plus Members Mull Over Reducing Production
Ukraine is not ready to surrender to Russia
Elon Musk’s tweets received a passionate response because they seemed to suggest that Ukraine should surrender to Russia. The four-point steps that he put forward were straight out of Vladimir Putin’s wish book.
The billionaire wants Ukraine to accept Russian sovereignty over Crimea. The Kremlin has kept the Crimean Peninsula under its control after it invaded Ukraine in 2014.
Moreover, Musk also suggested Kyiv cease laying claims to the four regions which Russia recently ceased from Ukraine. The international community has since denounced the sham referendums and demanded that Russia unconditionally withdraw from these territories.
Among the various excuses for his rationale is that surrendering to Russia will save many lives.
“Russia is doing partial mobilization. They go to full war mobilization if Crimea is at risk. Death on both sides will be devastating. Russia has >3 times population of Ukraine, so victory for Ukraine is unlikely in total war. If you care about the people of Ukraine, seek peace,”
he tweeted.
Ukraine’s president Vladimir Zelensky also responded to Musk. In a separate Tweet, Zelensky asked which Elon Musk they liked more, the one who supports Ukraine, or the one who supports Russia.
However, Ukrainian officials were not the only ones to denounce Musk for his new-found peace agenda. Other European leaders also hit out, slamming him for his ridiculous proposition.
Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nausėda also offered his two cents on the issue
“Dear Elon Musk, when someone tries to steal the wheels of your Tesla, it doesn’t make them legal owner of the car or of the wheels. Even though they claim both voted in favour of it. Just saying,”
he tweeted.
Tesla shares tank as Russia welcomes Musk’s tweet
While Ukrainian and other European leaders slammed Elon Musk for his tweet, his company also took a hit. The shares of his electric vehicle company Tesla fell by over 8%.
The recently-released third quarter production and delivery report already spelled trouble for the firm. Tesla reported it had made 343,000 total deliveries from 365,000 vehicles produced during the third quarter. However, this was lower than the expectations of analysts, who had predicted 364,660 deliveries.
Musk’s tweets came as a further blow to the struggling Tesla stock.
However, the billionaire entrepreneur received unsurprising support from Russia. According to reports, the Kremlin has welcomed his suggestions, calling him someone who “is searching for a peaceful resolution.”
Other social media users also trolled Musk for his ludicrous suggestion.
One user even drew parallels between the Russian invasion and Musk’s recent bid for a hostile takeover of Twitter.
“Elon Musk weighing in on Russia/Ukraine since he is an expert in failed takeover attempts,”
he trolled.
As the story develops, more information will come to light to perhaps help us understand Musk’s ulterior motives. Meanwhile, nobody seems to be buying his peace-loving avatar.
Meanwhile, click here to find out how to protect your tokens from crypto hackers.
