‘Come To Ukraine, You Will See…’: Zelenskyy Rebukes Elon Musk’s Russia Peace Proposal
CRITICISING American billionaire Elon Musk’s proposal to end Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Twitter’s new boss to visit his war-scarred country to see the devastation caused by Russian forces. Adding, Zelenskyy said such a visit could help the billionaire understand the situation before making pronouncements about it, AFP reported.
The statement from Zelenskyy came during an event organised by The New York Times on Wednesday, where, Zelenskyy appeared to make fun of the unconventional billionaire’s proposition.
“I think that either someone has influence over him, or he somehow draws conclusions on his own. If you want to understand what Russia has done here — come to Ukraine and you will see it all for yourself,” Zelenskyy said by video link at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, referring to Musk.
This followed a controversy sparked by Musk in October. Tesla and SpaceX founder taking to his Twitter handle, proposed a peace deal involving re-running under UN supervision referendums in Moscow-occupied Ukrainian regions, acknowledging Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and giving Ukraine a neutral status.
Responding to Musk’s peace deal, Zelensky asked, “Which @elonmusk do you like more?” with the options “One who supports Ukraine” and “One who supports Russia”.
On February 24, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. After ordering a partial mobilisation to reinforce his forces and threatening to use nuclear weapons, he called on Ukraine to cease hostilities and negotiate. Zelenskyy has said he will never negotiate with Russia as long as Putin remained its leader.
Amid the continuation of the Russian attack in the war sacred country, NATO allies promised more arms and equipment for Ukraine to help restore power supplies cut by Russian strikes.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces had repelled six Russian attacks in the past 24 hours in the eastern Donbas region, while Russian artillery had relentlessly shelled the right bank of the Dnipro River and Kherson city further south
