A few days after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Elon Musk was one of the very first CEOs of a multinational to publicly support Kiev, breaking with the traditional neutrality of industry bosses in geopolitical affairs.
His decision to support Ukraine by providing Starlink, the internet-access service developed by SpaceX, his rocket and satellite company, was a game changer in this conflict for strategic reasons.
On the one hand, Starlink has given Ukraine an essential, independent and secure communications service, thwarting Russian espionage. Starlink enabled Ukraine to prevent the Russians from finding out the details of Ukrainian attacks, according to experts.
On the other side, Starlink has also enabled Ukrainian civilians to stay connected to the world and tell their daily stories on social networks. For Ukraine this was a major victory in the communications war because it enabled the country to influence world opinion.
The West has framed the conflict as a clash between democracy (Ukraine) and dictatorship (Russia).
A Big Change in American Public Opinion
Musk as a result has seen his worldwide popularity increase at a spectacular speed. He now has more than 144 million Twitter followers, and he whispers in the ears of heads of state, who give him superstar treatment when he visits their countries. Most recently this was the case with France and Italy in mid-June.
The serial entrepreneur, who describes himself as a man of peace, is overcome by frustration about the conflict, the outcome of which is uncertain. In October he proposed a peace plan, which the Ukrainians vehemently rejected because it incorporated many Russian demands.
The billionaire's attempt caused a schism with Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the face of fierce criticism, Musk withdrew his peace plan but continued to campaign for a peace accord, which he believes is the only way to end the conflict.
A few months after Musk's failed proposal, American public opinion about the war has changed a lot. The share of Americans who believe that the U.S. provides too much support to Ukraine has steadily increased this year, according to a recent study from Pew Research.
The change is led by Republicans, with 44% of the GOP and Republican-leaning independents saying that the U.S. is giving too much aid to Ukraine, compared with 40% in January. This is the highest level since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the study says.
Roughly a third of Americans (32%) say Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a major threat to U.S. interests, according to the research, while the same number call it a minor threat. About 11% say that it is not a threat.
But in March 2022, half the Americans said that Russia’s invasion posed a major threat to U.S. interests.
This major change in opinion, which is accompanied by criticism from GOP lawmakers, has just reinvigorated Musk. The billionaire says that the time has come to ask the questions that annoy Ukraine about American aid. U.S. taxpayers have the right to know how their money is being used.
Paul, Musk Weigh in on Use of U.S. Tax Money
"The good news is that Ukraine caught their highest judge hiding some of his more than $2 million in bribes in pickle jars," Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) said on Twitter on June 21. He linked to a Politico story about a Ukrainian judge who allegedly stashed some $150,000 of bribes in pickle jars.
"The bad news is that Ukraine, consistently ranked as one of the most corrupt nations on the planet, still has high-ranking officials robbing it blind," Paul said.
The alleged activity took place before the Russia-Ukraine war. The money therefore had nothing to do with American aid since the beginning of the conflict in February last year.
Paul, a libertarian who often opposes U.S. intervention abroad, continued: "This might be a salient point when Ukraine returns to Congress to beg for more US taxpayer funds. Why won’t Democrats accept my call for a Special Inspector General to oversee the billions we send to Ukraine?"
Musk agrees and even says that this should be the principle.
"Some accounting of how American taxpayer money is being spent sure sounds like a reasonable request!" the billionaire said.
This request from Musk comes days after he suggested that he shared the opinion of David Sacks, a friend and tech investor, who believes that the great Ukrainian counteroffensive, currently underway, is "failing."
The Department of Defense announced on June 9 an additional $2.1 billion security-assistance package for Ukraine, including more air-defense and ammunition capabilities.
The capabilities in the package include additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems, Hawk air-defense systems and missiles, additional artillery rounds and other items, the Pentagon detailed in a statement.
In total, the U.S. has provided more than $39.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
