Since October, Elon Musk, the CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, has been convinced that the time for peace has come in the Russian war in Ukraine.
To prove it, he himself proposed a controversial peace plan which was rejected by the Ukrainian authorities, because it echoed the demands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Musk and Ukraine
The serial entrepreneur was surprised by the strong reactions to his peace plan, especially on the Ukrainian side, where he had become a hero for having provided Starlink to the country.
Starlink is a satellite internet access service, which has allowed Ukraine to compete with Russia in the communication war and the narrative of the conflict. The service has also become the main means of communication for the Ukrainian forces on the front.
"Which @elonmusk do you like more?" the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted at the time. "’One who supports Ukraine’ or ‘One who supports Russia?’"
"I still very much support Ukraine, but am convinced that massive escalation of the war will cause great harm to Ukraine and possibly the world," Musk responded.
Several months later, the richest man in the world remains convinced that the only way to end this conflict, which has already claimed many lives and caused the displacement of millions, is peace.
On the basis of this conviction, he has multiplied the the criticism against the U.S. diplomats, whom he accuses of becoming warmongers, rather than seeking a compromise solution.
'Worrisome'
For the billionaire and some of his tech friends like investor David Sacks, the neocon camp has taken over the American strategy vis-à-vis Ukraine. He thus believes that these warmongers are ready to do anything to torpedo any attempt at peace.
As a result, Musk is now worried that the war in Ukraine could become a U.S. war. Basically, the United States could intervene directly and therefore find itself confronting Russia with the risk that the conflict will turn into World War III.
This is what transpires from a thread on Twitter initiated by Sacks. Sacks is sounding the alarm on a recent resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The resolution could be used as a pretext for a direct entry of the United States into the war, said Sacks, who compares it to the imaginary Gulf of Tonkin incident, which gave the powers to President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 to engage the US directly in the Vietnam War between the South and the communist North.
"Is a Gulf of Tonkin moment at hand?" Sacks asked on Jun. 26. "Shortly after returning from his latest trip to Kyiv, Senator Graham along with Blumenthal introduced his resolution providing Article 5 guarantees to Ukraine in the event that, among other things, a nuclear facility is destroyed in Ukraine.
Sacks is referring here to Article 5 of the NATO treaty. This article stipulates that if a NATO country is the victim of an armed attack, each member of the Alliance will consider this act as an armed attack directed against all members and will take the measures it deems necessary to come to the aid of the attacked country.
The U.S and European countries are supporting Ukraine through NATO.
Sacks continued: "Just coincidentally, the Ukrainian government including Zelensky and intel chief [Kyrylo] Budanov started issuing warnings about Russian plans to blow up the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, even though the plant is under Russian control and blowing it up would have no strategic value."
He therefore concluded that if the nuclear power plant is destroyed, "look for howls of outrage from the War Party seeking the 'Americanization' of the Ukraine war to begin."
Musk seems to share this analysis and is worried about the prospect of a US involvement in a new war.
"Worrisome," the billionaire warned.
The U.S. v. Russia?
The resolution introduced by Graham and Blumenthal provides that if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, it will be seen "as an attack on NATO requiring an immediate response, including the implementation of Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty."
As a result, the resolution "urges the current administration to consult with NATO leaders and other European partners to develop a comprehensive response to minimize the threat to civilians and coordinate a diplomatic and military response commensurate with the situation."
Basically, the United States will then have no choice but to go to war against Russia.
Russia has stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, President Putin recently said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. He added that this was about "containment" and to deter anyone "thinking of inflicting a strategic defeat on us".
Putin assured that the nuclear weapons would only be used if Russia's territory was threatened.
Belarus is a staunch Russian ally. The Kremlin used the country for its invasion of Ukraine.
"We don't see any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after Putin made his announcement.
