Tesla CEO Elon Musk is denying claims by Ian Bremmer, president of political risk research firm Eurasia Group, that he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin before posting a controversial tweet implying that Ukraine should not retake more land from Russia than it has lost this year.
Musk had a “direct conversation” with Putin about the war, Bremmer wrote in a newsletter on Monday, and is convinced that the Russian dictator will use nuclear weapons against Ukraine if the smaller country does not back down.
Bremmer, a well-known foreign policy analyst, wrote that he had spoken to Musk two weeks ago and that Musk had told him of the conversation with Putin.
But a short time after a news story in Vice News about Bremmer’s newsletter was published, Musk tweeted a denial of the claims.
“I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space,” wrote Musk.
Bremmer said Putin told Musk he would accomplish certain goals “no matter what,” including Russia’s continued possession of Crimea, Ukraine’s acceptance of a formal status of neutrality, and Ukraine’s recognition of Putin’s annexations of Luhansk and Donetsk and control of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Putin held widely contested referendums in late September to establish support by the residents of eastern regions of Ukraine for Russia’s annexation of the territory.
According to Bremmer, Musk told him that “everything needed to be done to avoid” a nuclear strike on Ukraine, which Putin allegedly said would occur if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invaded Crimea.
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“I wasn’t planning on writing about this, but now that Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has gone public with his views on Russia/Ukraine, it feels important to write about what’s happening,” wrote Bremmer of the claims in his newsletter.
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Musk denies he talked to Putin ahead of controversial tweet https://t.co/VuBLe6nb48 pic.twitter.com/kq0BPmjUGg
— The Hill (@thehill) October 12, 2022
Well, glad to see that talented amateur diplomat Elon Musk was able to elicit yet another nuclear threat from Putin while undermining the West's efforts here.
This is why diplomacy is a matter for grownups and professionals, and not for immature dilettantes. https://t.co/Owr0iFeyK1
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) October 11, 2022
elon musk told me he had spoken with putin and the kremlin directly about ukraine. he also told me what the kremlin’s red lines were.
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 11, 2022
i’ve long admired musk as a unique and world-changing entrepreneur, which i've said publicly. he's not a geopolitics expert.
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 11, 2022
Area Billionaire Somehow the Real Victim https://t.co/FLUUIMrR9o
— David Shorr (@David_Shorr) October 12, 2022
Dear @elonmusk, please be so kind as to stay out of the geopolitics of the war in Ukraine. You have no experience in dealing with Putin. You are in no place to negotiate with him. The only thing he understands is power. Your statements about peace have made you his useful idiot.
— Alexander Stubb (@alexstubb) October 10, 2022
The only phone call anybody should make to Vladimir Putin is to accept his unconditional surrender and to make arrangements to turn himself over to The Hague.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) October 11, 2022
Maybe you could start by not floating half-baked ideas based on absolutely no understanding of this situation at all, and leave it to professional diplomats and others who know more about than you do. Just spitballin' here, but worth a try. https://t.co/eYzri0b2zk
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) October 9, 2022
Guy who has no idea what he's talking about retweets another guy who has no idea what he's talking about, comes to a conclusion about a probability he does not understand involving a country he does not understand and weapons he does not understand. https://t.co/bQqTtV69YC
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) October 9, 2022
World: Been there. Done that https://t.co/LxCxDKtRS8 pic.twitter.com/fLffTMH9qq
— Pat Bagley (@Patbagley) October 10, 2022
Usually, I don’t care about the wealthy one way or another, but Elon Musk is a royal pain in the you-know-what. I wish he would just quietly go about his business and not continually say and do outrageous things just to get attention.
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