Elon Musk is once again under fire for comments about Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this time for appearing to conflate the situation on Kyiv’s international border with that of the US.
In a post on X, he asked: “Why do so many American politicians from both parties care 100 times more about the Ukraine border than the USA border?”
Why do so many American politicians from both parties care 100 times more about the Ukraine border than the USA border?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 29, 2023
At the US border, thousands of largely peaceful migrants are crossing in the hopes of claiming asylum in the US.
At the Ukrainian border, tens of thousands of Russian troops have crossed hoping to illegally annex an entire country in what one Moscow general has described as a ‘stepping stone’ to invade Europe.
There was no shortage of people in the replies to his tweet willing to point out what Musk appeared to be missing.
“Ukraine is preventing a much wider war by stopping russia from invading NATO territory. Ukraine fights for us all,” wrote Paul Massaro.
“Because the southern border isn’t being invaded by an enemy nation state with the desire and ability to commit genocide of our people, Elon,” the writer Louise Mensch replied.
He’ll actually consider this won’t he https://t.co/cJBv8vaLkT pic.twitter.com/AplOiBUUQw
— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz) September 29, 2023
“Why does the world's richest businessman sound like a MAGA bot, spewing out automated right-wing talking points?” wrote journalist Mehdi Hasan.
Writer Vladislav Davidzon simply replied: “This is not a legitimate question mate.”
UK Estimates Russian War Casualties at 450,000
It’s far from the first time Musk has been in hot water over his views on Ukraine – earlier this month he wrote “So much death for so little,” in a post about Ukraine's counteroffensive, apparently in agreement with another post by David Sacks, a venture capitalist and friend of Musk who has criticized US support for Ukraine.
Putin's cheap shot cheerleader is at it again. Now the vacuous Elon Musk is trying to stop funding for #Ukraine. Trying to again stop Russian troops from being attacked. https://t.co/1I6DH15s8o pic.twitter.com/UxmfYLoSTk
— Glasnost Gone (@GlasnostGone) September 29, 2023
Elsewhere, a senate probe has been launched calling for a review of any incidents where Space X or others have disabled Ukrainian services following the revelation that Musk had not extended the private Starlink satellite network to aid Kyiv’s attack on Russian warships in Ukrainian waters near the Crimean coast.
Musk said he made the decision fearing that Moscow would retaliate with nuclear weapons.
“If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation,” Musk said.
The move triggered an immediate backlash in Ukraine.
“Sometimes a mistake is more than just a mistake. By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military (!) fleet via Starlink interference, Elon Musk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities. As a result, civilians, children are being killed. This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote.
The ignorance is stunning, unless this is intentional dishonesty from @elonmusk.
— Paul Niland (@PaulNiland) September 29, 2023
For a start, Ukraine is getting (in materiel, mostly) 5% of the US defense budget. There's still 95% left.
And what's happening in Ukraine isn't a 'border' issue, it's a genocide issue.
That help? https://t.co/yHuJN2Fiph
In an op-ed published in The Guardian earlier this month, American historian Timothy Snyder was also highly critical of the multibillionaire.
“The Ukrainians took this decision under stress, since if a weapon were detonated it would be on their territory.
Musk, who was in no danger of any kind, chose instead to give in to nuclear blackmail, thereby encouraging more of it,” Snyder wrote.
Snyder argued that Musk’s decisions gave Russians time to build more fortifications and lay the mines that are now slowing Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Ukraine has recently been having success with its grinding counteroffensive. Earlier this month, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) announced the liberation of the villages of Andriivka and Klishchiivka respectively – each setting the stage for a possible assault on the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut.
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Comments (12)
I guess if russia invades the US to 'denazify' it, killing civilians including children, torturing prisoners and bombing homes, schools, and hospitals, Musk might understand more about borders, the UN Charter, international law and wars of aggression. So far, he's just dozzzzzing.
Muskrat has got to be one of the ugliest, dumbest billionaires right behind ole Rupert lol damn I'll bet his mother was mortified seeing that face at birth!..his cheap junk ass electric cars are pieces of shit! nobody likes them here in the USA. I would love to see him beaten senseless for cutting off Starlink like that, stupid son of a bitch!
musk is a communist russian loving piece of filth. He did not just order Starlink to be turned off...he had the system turned off on putin's birthday.
Ukraine defends itself and he claims escalation...russia has done nothing but escalation and he remains silent.
musk MAY have been promised exclusive rights to items such as aluminum and lithium in Eastern Ukraine for his commie clown cars. musk claims he allowed Starlink in Ukraine to be used to "watch netflix, learn, and chill." Who the hell watches netflix and chills in a nation at war?
Let's not forget this is the same musk who inherited blood money from his racist father who owned and operated minds in South Africa and exploited Africans. musk must remove himself and his garbage Starlink, which I said from day one would be used as a trojan horse against Ukraine, out of my nation and keep his uneducated opinions of "truce" to himself. musk describes how he had a conversation with a russian official warning of a nuclear response in Crimea YET musk seems to think a "truce" is possible with the same people threatening nuclear annihilation of the world every other week. musk clearly suffers from dunning kruger.
musk is a communist russian loving piece of filth. He did not just order Starlink to be turned off...he had the system turned off on putin's birthday.
Ukraine defends itself and he claims escalation...russia has done nothing but escalation and he remains silent.
musk MAY have been promised exclusive rights to items such as aluminum and lithium in Eastern Ukraine for his commie clown cars. musk claims he allowed Starlink in Ukraine to be used to "watch netflix, learn, and chill." Who the hell watches netflix and chills in a nation at war?
Let's not forget this is the same musk who inherited blood money from his racist father who owned and operated minds in South Africa and exploited Africans. musk must remove himself and his garbage Starlink, which I said from day one would be used as a trojan horse against Ukraine, out of my nation and keep his uneducated opinions of "truce" to himself. musk describes how he had a conversation with a russian official warning of a nuclear response in Crimea YET musk seems to think a "truce" is possible with the same people threatening nuclear annihilation of the world every other week. musk clearly suffers from dunning kruger.
Control of the US border requires just a simple bipartisan decision, and zero additional investment in arms. The problem in America is within Congress. The consequences of it having unaccountable and tribal political processes will be faster progression to a totally failed State. Democracy is failing in America due purely to failure to listen , compromise and move on. Instead each party seeks merely to undo decisions imposed by a prior majority. That’s anti democratic .
Someone should send Musk a bound copy of Putin’s published works, and perhaps summarise for him in words of one or two syllables, what they mean in terms of his initial and ultimate plans, not only for Ukraine, but also Europe, which is a rather large marketplace for Musk’s products,
It’s hard to understand the the generally oversimplified myopic one liners that pass for political strategy, and election campaign sound bytes in America,
Generally, when something shortsighted and stupid is said, I find it effective to turn to someone else who may or may not be in the same room, and beg their pardon , explaining “He’s American”
The meaning of question is a wakefulness to the conundrum. Albeit, there probably an hundred different ways it could have been stated with more vividness, clarity, and intensity and not an opening to the many mind doors and their confirmation biases. But then again, there’s alway someone that would find a fault with other’s actions or activities. Their like mosquitoes and flies on a warm summer evening during a family barbecue.
Ask yourself this question : Why can’t they pay an equal amount or more to this issue? Do they know something you and other fellow Americans don’t, are they afraid or unwilling to get involved, or they don’t see any problem and you’re just being foolish or being stupid selfish cry babies.
he just wanted to stay in the headlines, get's his little rocks off that wat
Are we putting too much meaning on Elon's statement? Is he truly against Ukrain funding, or simply against ignoring the security of our own borders? Cartel leaders and foreign agents have penetrated our open borders. How can a nation exist without borders? How can the US exist to help Ukraine if it has no borders? All illegal immigrants are breaking our laws, as their first act of crossing the borders; why believe they intend to keep other laws? Why not help Ukraine AND secure our borders. Open border policies will destroy our culture and our country, as it does not screen out the enemies who will enter. What if Ukraine opened it's borders? Who would come in? Who is coming in? Let there be LEGAL immigration, without equivocating all immigrantion.
Elon Musk is nothing but a pampered grown boy who thinks that money gives him the right to do whatever he wants. That won't work in Ukraine. Go live with Snowden, it will be better for everyone.
Well, the Russians who will settle in the conquered territories, if Russia manages to keep them, will also be mostly peaceful people. Life will go on as usual. It's just that it will not be Ukraine anymore.
It matters of course not only who governs a country but what people who are living there. If an immigrant group gets big enough it also enables them to get political power.
Keep in mind that this war was made possible due to a large number of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine, many of them immigrated there during the USSR.
Immigration and military invasion are not so very different phenomena if you look at the long term effects. You can take over another people's land by both means.
@Christian, anyone who "settle in the conquered territories" is by definition not peaceful.
@Larry, They will hardly be more violent than the current inhabitans of for example Kaliningrad. Immigrants from Africa and Middle East who settled in Europe causes much more problems to the society and the indigenous population than Russians most likely will in the conquered parts of Ukraine, once the military has left and things go back to normal.
I am all for Ukraine in this conflict. Just saying that it's not incorrect to compare mass immigration from a bordering country with an actual invasion.
Funny thing, having a lot of money doesn't make you good or smart.
@rhoneyman, But writing some imaginary name as RHONEYMAN makes you a clown.