The richest man in the world calls himself a pragmatist and says he wants to avoid a third world war.
Elon Musk is pushing.
The billionaire entrepreneur seems determined to push the Ukrainians and Russians to the negotiating table, in order to reach a peace agreement to end a war that has been going on since February 24.
This conflict started on that day, with the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, hoped for a quick victory.
But nine months later, the Kremlin is facing unprecedented resistance from Ukraine, which is supported by NATO, offering military, financial and logistical aid.
Russia could not foresee that Ukraine would benefit from a communication system that would allow it to control part of the narrative of this war, and especially to communicate independently and safely on the front.
Indeed, Musk provides Ukraine with Starlink, the secure and independent Internet access service, developed by his aerospace company SpaceX. Starlink became a critical asset for Ukrainians, after Russia destroyed all their communication infrastructure.
Wild Card
“Definitely @elonmusk is among the world’s top private donors supporting Ukraine,” said Ukraine’s vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, on October 24. “Starlink is an essential element of our critical infrastructure.”
Starlink is used particularly by civilians in areas under attack by Russia and in areas where infrastructure has been destroyed. Government officials and armed forces employ the service on the ground because it’s secure.
The company’s satellites also are helping Ukrainian military drones destroy Russian tanks and army trucks.
While Musk is a big supporter of Ukraine, the billionaire also calls himself a pragmatist. It is in this capacity that he feels the time has come to negotiate for peace, as the conflict is escalating. Musk fears that extremism on both sides could lead to World War III, given the probability of the use of nuclear weapons.
The cost to Ukraine and the world would be enormous. And the Chief Executive Officer of Tesla (TSLA) – Get Tesla Inc. Report, who has promised to change civilization as we know it, wants to avoid this at all costs. He began by proposing a controversial peace plan on October 3.
The proposal called for Ukraine to surrender its region of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and to forgo its aspirations to join NATO and the European Union, two organizations which Putin sees as threats to the sovereignty of his country.
This plan was rejected by the Ukrainian authorities, including Volodymyr Zelensky, who accused Musk of becoming a supporter of Russia.
It also subjected Musk, who has become a troublemaker for American diplomacy, to fierce criticism from Ukraine supporters, such as Former World Chess Master Garry Kasparov, who called it “moral idiocy.”
The billionaire, who has become one of the most influential personalities in the world with roughly 110 million followers on the social network Twitter, has not given up. He continues to advocate that negotiations, sooner rather than later, are the only realistic way out of the war.
Put Pressure on the White House
Musk has voiced his agreement on a way to find a way forward. It is possible that it will not be welcomed by the Ukrainians as it questions the personal motivations of President Zelensky, who has become a national hero.
Musk believes that the United States, which is one of the great supporters of Ukraine via NATO, must put pressure on Zelensky, in order to safeguard its own security and to protect the American economy.
The argument was made by tech investor David Sacks, a friend of Musk. Sacks tweeted several posts on October 24, in which he commented on a letter by 30 liberal Democrat lawmakers, asking President Joe Biden to rethink his Ukraine strategy. The Democrats pleaded for direct talks with Russia.
“We urge you to make vigorous diplomatic efforts in support of a negotiated settlement and ceasefire, engage in direct talks with Russia, explore prospects for a new European security arrangement acceptable to all parties that will allow for a sovereign and independent Ukraine, and, in coordination with our Ukrainian partners, seek a rapid end to the conflict and reiterate this goal as America’s chief priority,” the 30 liberals wrote in their letter.
“The White House’s reaction to the letter was pathetic, saying that only Zelensky gets to decide. That might be true if we weren’t backing Ukraine with money, weapons and intelligence. But since we are, we should certainly have our own point of view,” Sacks blasted.
He added: “The US knows that it has substantial influence over its client Zelensky. But the excuse itself — that the US must delegate its own security to a foreign government — should be unacceptable to every American.”
Musk agreed with his friend’s pitch.
“Exactly!” he said.
