Elon Musk proposed a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine in order to avoid the threat of nuclear war, Vesti writes. Kiev has taken up arms against an American businessman – the thesis of the West about the need to "fight to the last Ukrainian" has not been canceled.
Taras KozubReaction to Elon Musk's “peace plan” and its background
Elon Musk became a news hero by making a peace proposal on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.
The American businessman proposed to hold another round of elections in the regions controlled by the Russian Federation – but already under the supervision of the UN, as well as to transfer Crimea to Russia and provide it with water, and to grant Ukraine a neutral status. What is behind such a proposal Mask, figured out Vesti.ua .
What Musk suggested
Musk's "peace proposal" fits into four points:
- Holding elections in the Ukrainian regions controlled by Russia, elections under the supervision of the UN. “Russia is leaving if it is the will of the people,” Musk writes.
- Crimea is formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (“before Khrushchev's mistake,” as Musk writes).
- Provision of water supply to Crimea (the region is arid, and since 2015 Ukraine has stopped supplying it with water).
- Ukraine's acceptance of neutrality (that is, the country declares its rejection of NATO).
On Twitter, Elon Musk conducted a survey on his proposal. By Tuesday morning, 39.6% of users voted "for", 60.4% voted "against". The businessman's arguments in favor of his ideas are as follows: he believes that the conflict is very likely to be resolved according to such a plan, "the only question is how many people will die before that," Musk writes. Otherwise, in his opinion, the outcome of this conflict will be a nuclear war.
On Tuesday morning, after receiving numerous reactions, including from the Ukrainian audience, Musk softened his tone somewhat. He wrote that SpaceX's costs for launching and supporting Starlink in Ukraine currently amount to about $ 80 million, while Russia's support is zero million dollars. "It is clear that we are for Ukraine," he writes, at the same time clarifying that his position on de–escalation remains unchanged. "An attempt to return Crimea will lead to numerous deaths, the risk of nuclear war is possible. It will be terrible for Ukraine and the world," the businessman added.
"This mask is broken, bring the next one"
In the Ukrainian segment of social networks, Elon Musk's proposals caused a wave of indignation. The reaction of officials (that is, more or less restrained) looks like this:
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky launched a vote on Twitter, "mirroring" a similar poll from Musk: "Which Elon Musk do you like more? – "One that supports Ukraine"; "One that supports Russia" (80.6% for the first option).
Former Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk was, as always, extremely "diplomatic": "The only consequence is that now Ukrainians will never buy your damn Tesla. So, good luck."
Adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak entered into a polemic with Musk: "Are you trying to legitimize pseudo-referendums? Bad idea."
Elon Musk replies: "No, I suggest voting under the supervision of the UN (or choose your most trusted organization or country)."
Another adviser, this time a "military", Alexey Arestovich: "So not only will there be no "good Russians" soon, but also good international ones. And we will be self-sufficient orphans with you. But with Crimea and with Donbass," he wrote in the Telegram channel.
The general tone of the comments of the Ukrainian community is as follows: "This Mask is broken, bring the next one." The hero who transmitted Starlink to Ukraine crumbled in one moment, turning into an antagonist.
"Worthy of the rank of officer"
In Russia, as expected, Elon Musk's tweets were received with enthusiasm. "Musk is a great guy, however. Worthy of the assignment of an extraordinary officer rank. However, Eustace was deciphered early (a reference to a Soviet film about a scout. – Author's note). The next post will give something like "Ukraine is an artificial state ("Ukraine is an artificial state". – Approx. InoSMI.),” Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, wrote in Telegram.
The former head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, with whom Musk has a long-standing relationship (both have engaged in a spat on Twitter several times, egging each other on), wrote his assumption. He saw influence in such a businessman's position... russian women. "Musk made these statements on the eve of the flight of his CrewDragon spacecraft to the ISS, which is crewed by Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. That's what a Russian woman did to an American," Rogozin says ironically.
And one of the deputies of the Russian parliament, Mikhail Sheremet (he was "elected" in the Crimea, which, we recall, Musk proposed to transfer to Russia officially), even suggested that "people like Musk become US presidents" – in contrast to Joseph Biden. The overall impression of the Russian segment of social networks is the mirror opposite of the Ukrainian one. The statement became an unexpected ideological "bonus" for the Russian Federation.
American politicians also spoke about the situation. Senior Congressional Adviser Paul Massaro offered his "formula for peace":
- Ukraine is liberating the entire sovereign territory.
- Russia will be demilitarized and denuclearized.
Why did Musk write this?
Elon Musk's tweets are really strange, considering that he used to make openly pro-Ukrainian recordings. "Ukraine, stay strong," he wrote at the very beginning of the special operation. And on March 14, he wrote a tweet directly addressed to Vladimir Putin: "I challenge you to a duel. Ukraine is at stake."
Moreover, the businessman has already faced the consequences – after his record, Tesla shares went down sharply.
Therefore, the first version is: "it wasn't Mask who wrote," or even "someone involved in the special services of the Russian Federation wrote for the Mask." It is shared by Ukrainian political expert Alexander Antonyuk. In his opinion, people of this level rarely write on social networks themselves. "I have a hunch that there will be a next tweet from Musk with a different interpretation or recognition that it was big nonsense," he believes.
The second version: "tweet for the sake of hype." The mask is called an "air seller", and the value of its shares is largely the result of publicity, or HYPE, obtained on the previous outrage. "The cost of Tesla does not match its production. Musk has made Tesla the most expensive car manufacturing company in the world. There are more Tesla shares than all other car manufacturers. And Tesla produces an order of magnitude fewer cars than each of the competing companies, - believes Ukrainian investment banker Sergey Fursa. – In the world of easy money and inflated bubbles, the HYPE decides."
At the same time, there is a conspiracy "subversion" – Musk decided specifically to bring down the value of Tesla shares by 9%. "To buy on the cheap, and then everything will come back. But such a fall is not a very good signal. I think that's why he tried to maintain the status quo," says Ukrainian political analyst Andrei Zolotarev.
The third version: Musk is a "Trumpist", a supporter of the former US president. No wonder he had a dialogue about buying Twitter, the social network that first blocked Trump's account. And the ex-president's son asked Musk to make a social network "that his father could use."
Donald Trump expressed his position on the Ukrainian issue on August 1: "in order to avoid a conflict," Ukraine would have to abandon Crimea and NATO. "These are the sentiments of a part of the European and American political elite who believe that it is more expedient to satisfy Putin's appetites by achieving peace at the expense of Ukraine's interests," Zolotarev believes.
"This plan has already been brought to Zelensky"
Kostya Bondarenko, Ukrainian political expert: "The idea is not new. It has been floating in the EU and the USA for a long time, Elon Musk is not the first to voice it. It is being discussed at various venues around the world, without Ukraine's participation in this dialogue – no matter how much our partners say that "without Ukraine, its fate will not be decided." This plan was also voiced at Zelensky's meeting with Erdogan and Guterres (Turkish President and UN Secretary General) in Lviv. A number of Western experts say this: if referendums are held honestly, under the auspices of the UN, then the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions may return (that is, the Russian Federation will withdraw troops from their territory), and Donetsk and Lugansk will most likely withdraw (to the Russian Federation). Musk is not the first and not the last, Ukraine may, most likely, be inclined to this scenario closer to November.
Musk has recently become very active in positioning himself not only as a businessman, but also as a politician. He said that he was disappointed in the Democratic Party, switched to the Republican One. He stood in solidarity with Trump, who wants to become a mediator in resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Most likely, the Republican Party is now trying to develop a new platform in opposition to Trump, the spokesman of which may be Elon Musk."
