Elon Musk would have contacted Vladimir Putin before tweeting his controversial solution to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Vice reports that Ian Bremmer, president and founder of the Eurasia Group, revealed that Musk spoke with Putin a few days ago and told him that he was ready to negotiate. Apparently his peace proposal coincides with the demands of the Kremlin.
Bremmer shared the information in an email sent to Eurasia Group subscribers. In it he details how Musk told him that Vladimir Putin would sit at the dialogue table only if certain demands are guaranteed. The president demands that Crimea and the annexed territories be recognized as part of Russia and that Ukraine sign a neutrality agreement.
Putin went further and threatened with a nuclear attack if Ukraine decides to invade Crimea. The Kremlin’s proposal is far from being a negotiation, since the Russian president will not give in to his demands and assured that will meet its objectives at any cost. With these points on the table, Elon Musk proceeded to tweet a series of polls that coincided with Putin’s requests.
The president of Eurasia Group also revealed that Elon Musk refused to activate Starlink in Crimea, despite requests from the Ukrainian government. Although Musk sent thousands of terminals to offer SpaceX satellite internet service at the beginning of the invasion, the current situation is different. Some Ukrainian military report failures and disconnections in parts of the country that are under Russian occupation.
Elon Musk: from Ukraine sympathizer to Putin’s spokesman?
In accordance with Financial Times, kyiv officials mentioned that Starlink began to fail once the army began the offensive in the now annexed territories. Soldiers reported disconnections and some interruptions would have caused a catastrophic communication loss for Ukraine. Elon Musk did not confirm or deny the facts and only responded that what happens on the battlefield is classified.
Bremmer’s statements help to understand Elon Musk’s unexpected proposal to resolve the war. Although the tycoon criticized the invasion and has sided with Ukraine, the polls published on Twitter generated negative reactions from the Zelensky government. In contrast, representatives of Russia they applauded Musk for seeking a peaceful solution.
“It is very positive that someone like Elon Musk is looking for a peaceful way out of this situation. Compared to many professional diplomats, Musk is still looking for ways to achieve peace. And achieving peace without meeting Russia’s conditions is absolutely impossible.” said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin.
Some Russian official media have posted screenshots of Elon Musk’s tweets where he proposes various solutions to the conflict. “This is most likely the end result, just a matter of how many die before that,” he said in a tweet, referring to the conditions for achieving peace.
Elon denies talking to Putin about the war
Given the indications about a possible conversation with Putin, Elon Musk denied the facts. The tycoon responded on Twitter that he only spoke with the Russian president once and it happened 18 months ago. Musk confessed that they talked about space and nothing else.
The reports seem change the idea of an Elon Musk at odds with Russia. For some time, the Kremlin has considered SpaceX a “predatory” company and in 2021, Roscosmos announced fines for those who use Starlink services. Although Musk challenged Putin to a fight earlier this year, he later confessed that he had a video conference with him.
Update [11/10/2022 22:52]. Elon Musk’s response was included denying the facts