Elon Musk is known for many things: as the richest man in the world, founder of SpaceX and head of Tesla. Recently, however, he has not been noticed for his technical achievements, but much more for his Twitter antics. While in a legal dispute with the short message service, he continues to use the platform to spread his (sometimes quirky) ideas.
More recently, he caused an uproar when he posted a peace plan for Ukraine on Twitter. American political scientist Ian Bremmer writes that Musk reportedly discussed this “ultimate peace plan”, as Musk calls it, with Putin over the phone.
It is said that he received his information from Musk himself. Bremmer recounts his conversation with Musk in the newsletter of his consulting firm “Eurasia Group”. The businessman explained to the political scientist that Putin was “ready to negotiate”.
negotiations on conditions
However, Putin placed conditions: the Crimean peninsula would belong to Russia, Ukraine would have to commit to permanent neutrality, and the annexation of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions would have to be recognized.
Putin is said to have told the tech billionaire that he will “definitely” achieve these goals, whatever the cost. Should Ukrainian forces invade Crimea, the Russian ruler would not dodge a nuclear attack. The Tesla boss is said to have told Bremmer that “everything must be done to avoid this outcome”.
Musk denies the call
Musk denies having spoken to Putin on the phone. When asked by American journalist Sven Henrich, Musk says he only spoke to Putin once, 18 months ago. It is said to have been over the universe.