Musk speaks out on the war against Ukraine

Billionaire Elon Musk has sparked fierce criticism with his proposed solutions for ending Russia's war against Ukraine. The four-point plan he set out on Twitter on Monday includes a UN-supervised poll in the Russian-occupied territories. Commentators are outraged and warn that the entrepreneur's views send a dangerous signal.

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Gazeta Wyborcza (PL) /

Western elites are growing tired of war

Leading politicians should make Musk see reason, Gazeta Wyborcza recommends:

“Musk's proposals can be read as a signal that the Western elites are tired of this war. How much human suffering can one listen to? Moreover, in recent weeks Putin has renewed his threats to use nuclear weapons. ... The West's fatigue and fear is Putin's only hope for survival. Western leaders should tell Musk categorically - preferably on Twitter - that he's on the wrong track here. And should support Ukraine even more.”

Irish Independent (IE) /

The Ukrainians have already voted

Referendums are not an option in this case, the Irish Independent states:

“Russia invaded Ukraine and under international law is not allowed to hold referendums on which country Ukrainians would like to be part of, whether the election is supervised by the United Nations or not. That would be like Putin invading Alaska and demanding a referendum on whether Alaskans would like to be part of Russia again. Given how many people have been either killed or deported in the regions that Russia occupies, it is not clear who would even constitute the electorate: Would Ukrainians who have fled the Russian onslaught be allowed to vote? Ukrainians have already made clear their preference: More than 90pc voted for independence in 1991.”

Gordonua.com (UA) /

No room for compromise

Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin explains on Gordonua.com why Musk's proposals are unacceptable:

“For us this is a war for our existence, and here, as former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said, there is no room for compromise. ... The most important thing Musk doesn't understand: you can't negotiate with criminals, they must be condemned and brought to justice. Either they do it to us, or we to them. And the victory will definitely be ours.”