Elon Musk slammed for 'appeasing Putin' after 'shocking' Ukraine rant
EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musk has been fiercely critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in recent months - but less so of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Elon Musk weighs in on Ukraine peace plan
Elon Musk’s latest diatribe about the war in Ukraine, during which he lambasted unspecified “virtue-signallers” and blamed them for ongoing conflict, is a classic example of “appeasement”, former UK government minister Tobias Ellwood has said. And the former British Army officer and ex-chairman of Parliament’s defence committee also warned US President Donald Trump has now “abandoned any sense of duty to lead the West”.
Mr Ellwood was weighing in on comments by the tech billionaire during an interview with Fox News’s Brett Baier on Friday evening. The South Africa-born tech chief, a close ally of Mr Trump, did not mince his words when asked how he thought the war between Russia and Ukraine would end. He said: “I think there will be a negotiated peace and what I think that we should be concerned about is, we should have empathy for the thousands of people that are dying every day in trenches for no movement in the lines so the borders remain the same in the past two years.
"Thousands of people have died every week for nothing, for what?
"And I take great offence at those who put on the appearance of goodness over the reality of it, virtue-signalling and saying 'oh, we can't give into Russia', but have no solution to stopping thousands of kids dying every day.”
He explained: "They just want that to continue forever. I have contempt for such people, I want to make that clear.
"Because their virtue-signalling, and their lack of a solution means that kids don’t have a father, it means that parents lost a son. For what? Nothing.”
Mr Musk, who notably avoids blaming Vladimir Putin during the clip, also controversially branded US Senator Mark Kelly, US Army veteran and former astronaut, a “traitor” for visiting Ukraine.
His claims failed to sway Mr Ellwood, a former Tory MP who now does consultancy work for think tanks including RUSI and the Atlantic Council.
He told Express.co.uk: "This is what appeasement looks like.
"Musk’s grasp of the geopolitics here is truly shocking. Any ceasefire will only lead to further conflict as Putin’s mission to secure all of Ukraine is unchanged.
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"Musk suggests there is no plan B. Yes, there is - give Ukraine ALL the tools it needs to finish the job. Rather than kowtowing to the bully.”
Mr Ellwood continued: "I think Trump has abandoned any sense of duty to lead the West.”
As such, Mr Trump saw Ukraine as falling under Russia’s “region of influence”, Mr Ellwood suggested.
He added: "Trump respects that as long as Russia respects Greenland falls in America’s.”
Anton Geraschenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, who shared the clip on X, commented: "Ukrainians want peace.
"Ukrainians don't want to die at war. Ukrainians don't want our cities to be destroyed by missiles and us to be killed.
"Putin and Russia attacked Ukraine. Russia continues ruining and striking our cities. Right this moment, too. Ukrainians are defending ourselves and our lives.
"Putin and Russia must be stopped. They must be forced to peace. Currently, Putin shows that he only wants war."
