The key facts

  • In an interview with Jan Böhmermann on ZDF, Zelensky said that Musk 'has no right' to influence who should be in power in Ukraine and Germany
  • He called the concentration of 'such enormous power' in the hands of a very rich man dangerous
  • Life.ru recalls that Musk earlier called on Zelensky to resign, and in late October a dispute over Starshield flared up between them

Statement in the ZDF interview

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with TV host Jan Böhmermann on the German channel ZDF, criticized American entrepreneur Elon Musk for his statements about politics in Europe and Ukraine. 'Elon Musk's influence — what he says in his posts, what he thinks about how Europe should live, who should play the leading role in Germany, who should be in power in Ukraine — these are not just words. When they come from a very rich man, they have an impact. And he has no right to influence these things. He is a citizen of another country,' Zelensky said, as Gazeta.Ru quotes his words.

The essence of the objections

The Ukrainian leader called such statements a risk and stressed that the concentration of 'such enormous power in the hands of a very rich man is very dangerous.' He also took particular issue with Musk's attitude toward the conflict: according to Zelensky, the entrepreneur treats Russian soldiers 'with human sympathy.'

Gratitude for connectivity is not agreement with policy

Life.ru draws attention to a detailthat distinguishes this comment from a mere war of words: Zelensky acknowledged the importance of SpaceX for Ukraine, noting the satellite connectivity it has provided, but stressed that gratitude for technical support does not mean agreement with the company owner's political views. This matters against the backdrop of satellite connectivity remaining a practical issue for Ukraine: earlier, Ukraine complained about Russia's intensified countermeasures against Starlink, and on November 3 Zelensky said that several countries are developing their own versions of systems like Starlink.

Background of the conflict

The statement came amid a protracted public feud. According to Life.ru, Musk earlier called on Zelensky to resign, agreeing with the view that the Ukrainian politician is not interested in ending the conflict because of the prospect of presidential elections, and in late October a dispute broke out between Zelensky and Musk over restrictions on the Starshield satellite system. At the same time, as Gazeta.Ru notes, Zelensky had earlier complained that Musk did not get in touch with him, although he wanted to talk 'about various topics.' In the same period, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Musk a 'genius of a man' — on October 28.