Topline
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has denied blocking Kyiv’s access to the company’s Starlink satellite communications network in order to hobble a major offensive and called for an immediate truce between Russia and Ukraine, stressing that the war has stagnated and is not worth the lives being lost fighting it.
Key Facts
Every day of fighting means “more Ukrainian and Russian youth die to gain and lose small pieces of land,” Musk wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The borders between Russia and Ukraine are “barely changing” anymore, Musk said, stressing that the incremental changes are “not worth” the lives of those dying in the war.
“Both sides should agree to a truce” to put a stop to the loss of life, Musk said.
The billionaire’s comments come in response to allegations Musk cut Kyiv’s military access to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications network during a major offensive against Russia’s naval fleet in the Black Sea.
Musk rubbished the claims and said the network was “not activated” in the region so SpaceX could not “deactivate anything.”
The firm did deny Ukraine’s request to activate the network “all the way to” the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, however, which Musk said would have made SpaceX “complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”
News Peg
Reports of Musk’s apparent decision to thwart Ukraine’s attack by switching off its Starlink access come from a forthcoming biography by Walter Isaacson, advance copies of which have been read by CNN and other news organizations. Musk reportedly said the attack on Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet would have been like a “mini-Pearl Harbor” and would likely provoke Russian escalation, retaliation and potentially nuclear war. The book reportedly quotes Musk as asking “how am I in this war?” and questioning how Starlink has somehow been turned to military purposes. Musk offered Ukraine access to Starlink—a network of thousands of satellites that can provide high speed internet from orbit to anywhere in the world—for free shortly after Russia launched its invasion and it has been crucial for keeping the country online as critical infrastructure was destroyed. As the war has dragged on, SpaceX officials have accused Ukraine’s military of weaponizing the service to power military operations against agreements it had made with the company. “Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars,” Musk is quoted as saying in the biography. “It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.”
Tangent
“Wishful thinking doesn’t win wars,” Musk said in response to a comment on X that said it is “utter madness no negotiations have taken place” yet. Kyiv has largely balked at the idea of negotiating with or granting concessions to Russia. The unwillingness to compromise stems from both widespread outrage over the slew of alleged atrocities and war crimes committed by Russian forces across the country and a deep seated mistrust from Russia’s historic willingness to set aside peace agreements it has made when convenient to the Kremlin’s agenda. Musk’s comment is not the first time the billionaire has suggested Kyiv and Moscow should compromise instead of fighting and he previously came under fire for proposing a “peace” plan to end the war. The plan contained significant concessions to Russia, including formally recognizing the Crimean peninsula—which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 and still controls—as Russian territory and Ukraine committing to not join NATO and maintain neutrality. The proposal and Musk were savaged by senior Ukrainian figures and Western politicians, many of whom suggested he should stick to business, not foreign policy.
Forbes Valuation
$253.5 billion. That’s Musk’s estimated net worth, according to Forbes’ real time tracker. He is the world’s richest person by a comfortable margin, with French luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault, worth an estimated $192.9 billion, holding second place. The bulk of Musk’s fortune comes from his stake in electric carmaker Tesla and the contingent of valuable companies he cofounded and is still involved in running. This includes SpaceX, brain implant company Neuralink and tunneling enterprise The Boring Company. He controversially acquired social media platform Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 with a view to transforming it into a superapp called X. He believes X could become a trillion dollar company.
Elon Musk Cut Off Ukraine’s Starlink Access During Drone Attack, According To His Biographer (Forbes)
Elon Musk Thinks X Could Become A Trillion Dollar Company—Here Are The Challenges Facing The Platform Since He Took Over (Forbes)
CNN Exclusive: ‘How am I in this war?’: New Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire’s Ukraine dilemma (CNN)
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