Elon Musk is not a diplomat or a government official. He’s just a very wealthy man who thinks his money makes him an authority on foreign policy, and he found out on Monday that his and Twitter’s opinion on matters of international significance do not hinge on his opinions.
Ukrainian diplomat responds to Musk’s peace proposal: "f— off" https://t.co/rJf7gK9TWY pic.twitter.com/EJ0bYUF86W
— The Hill (@thehill) October 4, 2022
After what is largely condemned as a sham election in contested regions of Ukraine, regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to annex in the same way he did Crimea, the Tesla CEO tweeted out a Twitter poll – which has approximately the same level of legitimacy and weight as the sham elections themselves – asking social media their opinion on whether Ukraine should surrender to Russia, give up territory, and hold new elections.
“This is highly likely to be the outcome in the end – just a question of how many die before then,” Musk said, calling for peace. Except it isn’t really peace he’s calling for. It’s surrender.. Ukrainian diplomat Andriy Melnyk, who is well-known for having openly funded with the chancellor of Germany and accused the German government of having ties with Russia, responded:
‘F- off is my very diplomatic reply.’
Ukranian President Volodomir Zelensky announced previously that he would recall Melnyk as ambassador at the end of September, but his comments to Musk reflect what many feel about Musk’s calls for “peace.”
According to The Hill:
‘Russia annexed four territories in eastern Ukraine last week in elections that are widely considered shams and which Putin celebrated over the weekend. Russia also continues to hold the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014 after an invasion.’
Twitter had a lot to say about the response to Elon Musk. Read some of their comments below:
