Tesla CEO Elon Musk has denied a report that he spoke to Vladimir Putin, before suggesting a peace plan where Ukraine would cede territory to Russia.
“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. I have been writing my weekly newsletter on geopolitics for 24 yrs. I write honestly without fear or favor and this week’s update was no different.”
– Ian Bremmer, Head of the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy
In a newsletter for Eurasia Group subscribers, Bremmer wrote that the Tesla CEO told him Putin was “prepared to negotiate,” according to Vice News.
The conditions are that Crimea remains Russian, Ukraine becomes permanently neutral, and that Ukraine recognize Russia’s annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Bremmer said Musk told him that Putin’s war aims would be achieved “no matter what,” and is prepared to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine reclaimed Crimea.
On October 3, Musk posted his peace proposal on Twitter, which includes the previously mentioned conditions, but that the referendums should be redone under UN supervision.
Musk denied having talked to the Russian President regarding his proposal, “I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space,” he said on Twitter.
