- Elon Musk asked Twitter users to vote on whether Crimea should be formally acknowledged as Russian territory or Ukrainian territory.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded with his own poll: “Which @elonmusk do you like more?,” he asked.
- Andriy Melnyk replied harshly to Musk’s tweet.
Elon Musk urged Twitter users to vote in on a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine on Monday, which attracted quick backlash from Ukrainians, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who answered with his own poll.
Zelenskiy tweeted, “Which @elonmusk do you like more?,” and provided two responses: one who favors Ukraine and one who supports Russia.
Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, advocated U.N.-supervised elections in four occupied territories that Moscow annexed last week following so-called referendums. The Ukrainian and Western governments condemned the elections as unlawful and coercive.
“Russia leaves if that is will of the people,” Musk wrote.
The chief executive officer of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) proposed that Crimea, which Moscow took in 2014, be formally acknowledged as Russian territory, that water supplies to Crimea be guaranteed, and that Ukraine remain neutral. He requested that Twitter users vote “yes” or “no” on the proposal.
“Dear @elonmusk, 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 favor of it. Just saying,” President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausda tweeted in response.
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Musk, who is also the CEO of SpaceX, followed his initial tweet with a second poll: “Let’s try this then: the will of the people who live in the Donbas & Crimea should decide whether they’re part of Russia or Ukraine.”
He stated that he didn’t care if his suggestion was unpopular, but he did worry that “millions of people may die needlessly for an essentially identical outcome.”
“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 published in a tweet.
In February, when Ukraine’s internet was crippled due to Russia’s incursion, Musk responded to a government official’s tweet requesting assistance. Musk stated that SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service is now accessible in Ukraine and that the company is deploying additional terminals to the country.
Andriy Melnyk, the outspoken departing ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, had a direct response to Musk’s peace initiative. Melnyk was criticized in July for defending the Ukrainian nationalist leader of World War II, Stepan Bandera.
“F**k off is my very diplomatic reply to you @elonmusk,” tweeted Melnyk.
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