‘Come to Ukraine,’ Zelenskyy tells Musk after controversial peace proposal
Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday criticized American billionaire Elon Muskto end the Russian offensive in Ukraine and invited him to visit his war-torn country.
In October, Musk sparked controversy on Twitter by proposing a peace deal involving repeat UN-supervised referendums in Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine, recognizing Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and giving the Ukraine a neutral status.
At an event hosted by The New York Times, Zelenskyy appeared to scoff at the maverick billionaire’s proposal on Wednesday, saying he should come to Ukraine.
“I think either someone has influence on him or he’s drawing conclusions on his own,” Zelenskyy said via video link at the New York Times DealBook summit, referring to Musk.
“If you want to understand what Russia has done here, come to Ukraine and you will see everything for yourself.
“And then you will tell me how to end this war, who started it and when it can be over.”
In October, the Tesla and SpaceX founder created a poll to let his more than 100 million followers vote on the idea.
Zelenskyy responded with his own Twitter poll, asking, “Which @elonmusk do you like the most?” with the options “Whoever supports Ukraine” and “Whoever supports Russia”.
Russian President Vladimir Poutine sent troops to Ukraine on February 24 to “denazify” the pro-Western country.
He called on Ukraine to cease hostilities and negotiate after ordering a partial mobilization to reinforce its forces and threatening to use nuclear weapons.
Zelenskyy said he would never negotiate with Russia as long as Putin remained its leader.
In October, Musk sparked controversy on Twitter by proposing a peace deal involving repeat UN-supervised referendums in Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine, recognizing Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and giving the Ukraine a neutral status.
At an event hosted by The New York Times, Zelenskyy appeared to scoff at the maverick billionaire’s proposal on Wednesday, saying he should come to Ukraine.
“I think either someone has influence on him or he’s drawing conclusions on his own,” Zelenskyy said via video link at the New York Times DealBook summit, referring to Musk.
“If you want to understand what Russia has done here, come to Ukraine and you will see everything for yourself.
“And then you will tell me how to end this war, who started it and when it can be over.”
In October, the Tesla and SpaceX founder created a poll to let his more than 100 million followers vote on the idea.
Zelenskyy responded with his own Twitter poll, asking, “Which @elonmusk do you like the most?” with the options “Whoever supports Ukraine” and “Whoever supports Russia”.
Russian President Vladimir Poutine sent troops to Ukraine on February 24 to “denazify” the pro-Western country.
He called on Ukraine to cease hostilities and negotiate after ordering a partial mobilization to reinforce its forces and threatening to use nuclear weapons.
Zelenskyy said he would never negotiate with Russia as long as Putin remained its leader.
