Tesla CEO Elon Musk has denied a claim that he spoke instantly to Russian President Vladimir Putin in current weeks about the war in Ukraine and a proposed “peace plan” to finish the battle.
Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, American political scientist Ian Bremmer, president of political consulting agency Eurasia Group, claimed Musk advised him instantly about his dialog with Putin final month.
In a tweet Tuesday, nonetheless, Musk stated he hadn’t spoken with Putin in over a 12 months.
“I’ve spoken to Putin solely as soon as and that was about 18 months in the past,” Musk tweeted. “The material was area.”
Bremmer initially declined to remark additional on his dialog with Musk — however later reiterated his claim on Twitter.
“Elon Musk advised me he had spoken with Putin and the Kremlin instantly about Ukraine. He additionally advised me what the Kremlin’s crimson traces had been,” Bremmer wrote.
Musk tweeted a succinct response: “Nobody ought to belief Bremmer.”
Eurasia Group is a political danger analysis and consulting agency that studies on rising and developed economies. Bremmer, who is commonly cited by mainstream media, has additionally been concerned with worldwide organizations together with the World Economic Forum.
The trade comes after Musk tweeted a “Ukraine-Russia peace plan” final week that mirrored calls for Kremlin officers have made repeatedly in current months, together with that Kyiv commit to army neutrality, acknowledge that Crimea is formally a part of Russia, and guarantee continued water provide to the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
“Ukraine-Russia Peace: Redo elections of annexed areas beneath UN supervision. Russia leaves if that’s will of the folks. Crimea formally a part of Russia, because it has been since 1783 (till Khrushchev’s mistake). Water provide to Crimea assured. Ukraine stays impartial,” Musk tweeted.
“This is extremely seemingly to be the end result in the tip — only a query of what number of die earlier than then,” he added. “Also price noting {that a} doable, albeit unlikely, end result from this battle is nuclear war.”
Musk’s tweet was welcomed by the Kremlin — however sparked outrage amongst Ukrainian authorities officers, together with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who urged in a tweet that Musk was expressing help for Russia together with his proposal.
“F— off is my very diplomatic reply to you,” Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk wrote in response to Musk’s Twitter thread.
A lawyer for Musk didn’t instantly return CNN’s requests for remark.
In a sequence of tweets on Tuesday night time, Bremmer strongly defended his claim, saying: “I’ve been writing my weekly e-newsletter on geopolitics for twenty-four [years]. I write actually with out concern or favor and this week’s replace was no completely different.
“I’ve lengthy admired Musk as a singular and world-changing entrepreneur, which I’ve stated publicly. He’s not a geopolitics skilled.”
MUSK ON PEACE PROPOSALS
Multiple sources advised CNN individually that in current weeks, Musk had floated an analogous “peace plan” proposal in conversations with attendees at assume tanks and conferences, and hinted at having contact with Kremlin officers.
In a dialog at “The Weekend” pageant in Aspen, Colorado, final month, Musk advised attendees, “I actually would encourage Ukraine — as a result of Ukraine’s had some victories not too long ago — actually encourage them to search peace. This is the time to do it. They don’t need to do it, that is for certain. But that is the time to do it. Cause you realize everybody needs to search peace once they’re dropping however they do not need to search peace once they’re successful. For now.”
According to one attendee, Musk added that “in my view the character of that peace can be: recognizing Crimea as Russia, permitting Luhansk and Donetsk to be unbiased, quasi-independent republics, and do not block the water to Crimea like they did final time. Russia would settle for these phrases.”
Based on the concepts Musk put ahead, in accordance to one other supply who heard them, it appeared “clear” he had been “in communication with the Kremlin.” A 3rd supply echoed that, telling CNN Musk had urged in late September that his proposals for a peace deal had been endorsed by the Kremlin.
Musk made comparable recommendations for a decision to tensions between China and Taiwan, telling the Financial Times that some management over the self-governing island could possibly be handed to Beijing in a bid for peace.
“My advice…can be to determine a particular administrative zone for Taiwan that’s moderately palatable, in all probability will not make everybody completely happy,” Musk advised the Financial Times in an interview printed final week. “And it is doable, and I feel in all probability, in truth, that they may have an association that is extra lenient than Hong Kong.”
In a word to Eurasia Group subscribers on Monday, Bremmer expanded upon his dialog with Musk, which he stated passed off about two weeks in the past.
“I spoke with Elon two weeks in the past, and he advised me Putin (in a direct dialog with him) was “ready to negotiate” (a lot as I had heard from Shanghai Cooperation Organization members the week earlier than) and had outlined the minimal the Russian President would require to finish the war,” Bremmer wrote.
“There had been three elements: (1) Crimea stays Russian, (2) Ukraine accepts a proper standing of neutrality, and (3) recognition of Russia’s annexations of Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson management for the water provide to Crimea, and Zaporizhzhia for the land bridge.”
Bremmer wrote that Musk advised him Putin stated he would accomplish these targets “it doesn’t matter what,” and was ready to retaliate with a nuclear strike ought to Zelensky strive to take again Crimea by drive.
“Elon stated every part wanted to be carried out to keep away from that end result,” Bremmer wrote.
Musk has been offering Starlink methods to Ukraine since early on in the war, permitting Kyiv to keep web and communications entry in areas lower off by Russian assaults on infrastructure. But in accordance to Bremmer, Musk was spooked in current weeks by a Ukrainian request to activate Starlink methods in Crimea — suggesting a possible floor operation — and refused the request.
“Musk additionally appeared involved about extra direct threats from Putin,” Bremmer wrote. “While he did not floor something specific with me, he did discuss about Russian cyber capabilities and Russia’s potential to disrupt his satellites.”
Asked on Tuesday about the reported Musk-Putin dialogue, US National Security Council official John Kirby advised reporters that Musk doesn’t converse on behalf of the Biden administration in any conversations he might have with the Russian President.
“I’ll let Mr. Musk converse for his conversations. Obviously, he’s not representing the United States authorities in this dialog. So I feel I’ll let him characterize this. And we’ll keep away from commenting on the particulars,” Kirby stated.
Kirby reiterated that Russia began its war in Ukraine “in an unprovoked and unlawful method” and “can finish it right this moment just by taking their troops out.”
Absent that, Kirby stated the United States plans to proceed to help Ukraine with capabilities and instruments to succeed on the battlefield.
Zelensky, Kirby added, “will get to decide for himself when is the proper time to negotiate, and Mr. Zelensky will get to decide for himself and for his nation what phrases he’s keen to think about, what success seems to be like.”
Correction: A earlier model of this story incorrectly acknowledged the title of the pageant at which Elon Musk advised attendees Ukraine ought to search peace. It passed off at “The Weekend” pageant