Elon Musk found himself getting dragged on a global scale when he offered unsolicited advice on how to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine. The proposal was so bad and capitulatory to Russia that a Ukrainian ambassador literally told Musk to “f*ck off,” and now, Lindsey Graham has entered the fray.
The South Carolina is usually on the receiving end of a social media roast, but this time around, Graham called out Musk for suggesting that Ukraine cede territory to Russia to stop the country from going to “full war mobilization.”
“With all due respect to Elon Musk – and I do respect him – I would suggest he needs to understand the facts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Graham tweeted. “Suggesting we end the Russian invasion by simply giving Russia parts of Ukraine – after all the suffering – is dumb. It is also an affront to the bravery of the Ukrainians fighting to defend their homeland.”
Suggesting we end the Russian invasion by simply giving Russia parts of Ukraine – after all the suffering – is dumb.
It is also an affront to the bravery of the Ukrainians fighting to defend their homeland.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 5, 2022
Graham went on to school Musk by citing the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which involved Ukraine giving up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for “assurances their territorial integrity would be protected.” Graham argues that it is incumbent upon Russia not Ukraine to honor that agreement:
It was an agreement signed by Russia that included protecting Crimea and the Donbas as part of Ukraine. If you want peace in Ukraine — which we ALL do — simply demand Russian honor the boundaries they agreed to in 1994 and withdraw their forces. To do otherwise is to legitimize a bait and switch by Russia and a signal to other bad actors to take what you want – by force!
Graham ended his lecture by highlighting the Tesla CEO’s willingness to give Vladimir Putin exactly what he wants. “If Elon Musk and others want the world to continue to be in chaos, then by all means capitulate to Putin and reward his aggression,” Graham said.
To do otherwise is to legitimize a bait and switch by Russia and a signal to other bad actors to take what you want – by force!
If Elon Musk and others want the world to continue to be in chaos, then by all means capitulate to Putin and reward his aggression.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 5, 2022