Musk said Putin was under pressure to stay the course.
Elon Musk told U.S. Republican senators that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot lose the war in Ukraine, expressing concern about the conflict being affected by Musk’s own Starlink satellite service.
Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla Inc., made the remarks in a forum on his X social media platform, X Spaces, on Monday. The discussion included opponents of a Senate bill that would provide further aid to Ukraine as it continues to fight a sweeping Russian invasion that began two years ago.
Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, J.D. Vance of Ohio and Mike Lee of Utah were joined by former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Craft Ventures LLC co-founder David Sachs joined his ranks.
Musk’s comments came as he agreed with Johnson that Putin would not fail in Ukraine. Johnson said those expecting Ukraine to win were “living in a fantasy world”.
“We have to kill this thing,” Vance said of the $95 billion measure, which includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, as well as money to Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian aid to Gaza assistance.
Musk added that he hopes Americans will contact their elected representatives regarding the Ukraine bill. “This spending will not help Ukraine. Prolonging the war will not help Ukraine.”
Musk has previously expressed similar views on X, doubting Ukraine’s ability to win the war and mocking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for aid. The tech mogul has come under criticism from Ukraine and Democratic members of Congress.
Musk said Putin was under pressure to stay the course. “If he backed down, he would be assassinated,” Musk said.
Musk told senators he has sometimes been accused of being an apologist for Putin, but said the accusation was “ridiculous.” He said his company “probably did more to undermine Russia than anything else.”
He cited SpaceX’s provision of Starlink internet service to Ukraine, which was critical to the country’s communications after the Russian invasion, and SpaceX’s taking business away from Russia’s space launch business.
His views contrast with those of President Joe Biden and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who believe that helping Ukraine defend the Kremlin is in the U.S. interest and will help deter other autocrats from starting their own wars.
Senate consideration of the bill continued late Monday night and it was expected to pass, but House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted border security measures must come first.
Musk said he was interested in preventing deaths on both sides of the war, adding that he doubted the wisdom of seeking Putin’s ouster.
“For those who want regime change in Russia, they should think about who is the person who can overthrow Putin, is that person likely to be a pacifist? Probably not.”
Musk said that such a person may be “more hardcore than Putin.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
