Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Elon Musk’s poll about whether Ukraine should give up territory to Russia on Monday by turning the tables on the tech billionaire.
Zelensky tweeted out a poll of his own, asking Twitter users which Musk they like better: “One who supports Ukraine” or “One who supports Russia.”
Musk’s Twitter poll drew widespread attention on Monday afternoon when the SpaceX and Tesla CEO asked users if they supported his peace proposal for the war in Ukraine.
Musk’s proposal was to redo elections in regions of Ukraine annexed by Russia, with the elections under United Nations supervision, have Ukraine cede the Crimean peninsula to Russia, and for Ukraine to remain as a neutral country between Russia and the West.
The poll earned a response from Ukrainian diplomat Andriy Melnyk, who told the billionaire to “f— off” shortly after the tweet was posted.
Musk has dug in to defend his position on Ukraine, tweeting out another poll asking the social media platform’s users if “the will of the people who live in the Donbas & Crimea should decide whether they’re part of Russia or Ukraine.”
“Russia is doing partial mobilization. They go to full war mobilization if Crimea is at risk. Death on both sides will be devastating,” Musk said in response to a user’s critical comments on the new poll. “Russia has >3 times population of Ukraine, so victory for Ukraine is unlikely in total war. If you care about the people of Ukraine, seek peace.”
Russia annexed four regions of eastern Ukraine last week in elections the West has widely condemned as a sham, and the country illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
Zelensky has vowed to reclaim all of the annexed land during the war, which has stretched on for months and has led to massive casualties on both sides.
Musk appears to be shifting in his stance on Russia amid the lasting war. In March, the world’s richest man challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “single combat.”
Musk has provided Starlink satellite services for Ukraine, helping to increase the nation’s internet connectivity amid the war effort. Zelensky said he was “grateful” for the service.