African-American philanthropist Elon Musk has debunked claims that he secretly spoke to Russian president Vladimir Putin prior to posting his viral plan to end the war in Ukraine on Twitter.
In an article titled “Elon Musk Spoke to Putin Before Tweeting Ukraine Peace Plan: Report,” left-wing website Vice wrote that “Elon Musk spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin before tweeting a proposal to end the war in Ukraine that would have seen territory permanently ceded to Russia, it has been claimed.”
Twitter user Sven Heinrich tweeted out the article on Tuesday with the caption “Hi @elonmusk Is this true?”
In response, Musk stated, “No, it is not. I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space.”
“Fair enough. Thanks for clarifying,” Heinrich said. “These days too often the wrong impressions without context get put out there.”
No, it is not. I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 11, 2022
“Elon, would you be open to having a conversation with Putin again (if he permits, of course) and discuss the possibility options to peace plan so that the world could avert another war coming it’s way?” another user asked.
“Pointless, as there is currently no overlap between Russian and Ukrainian demands – it’s not even close,” Musk responded.
Pointless, as there is currently no overlap between Russian and Ukrainian demands – it’s not even close
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 11, 2022
Vice News has a history of having to retract stories that “were approved and published in violation of our usual editorial workflow” and “fell short of our standards.”
A reporter with the White House press corp suggested last week that Musk is “spreading Russian propaganda” by floating a possible Ukrainian plan for peace to avoid nuclear war.
“Is the [Biden] administration concerned that Elon Musk is spreading Russian propaganda?” the reporter asked Jean-Pierre. “Uh, can you be more specific?” Jean-Pierre replied.
“Well, this weekend he put out this quote ‘peace plan’ that includes giving Russia Crimea and, like, redoing some of these elections, but with the UN watching, so, wondering if there’s concern there,” the reporter clarified.
This news and commentary by Gabriel Keane originally appeared on Valiant News.
