Elon Musk says Trump's plan will soon end Ukraine war
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Musk, whose pro-Trump super PAC contributed over $118 million to the 2024 campaign, has positioned himself as a leader in efforts to significantly reduce federal spending.
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Elon Musk speaks before then Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Sunday, October 27, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Tech tycoon Elon Musk stated that the bloodshed in Ukraine will soon come to an end, crediting US President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed plan.
Trump’s team suggested freezing the war, establishing a demilitarized zone along the frontline, and providing Ukraine with new weapons, contingent upon Kiev agreeing not to join NATO for approximately 20 years, The Wall Street Journal reported on November 6 citing sources.
The senseless killing will end soon.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 8, 2024
Time is up for the warmonger profiteers.
“The senseless killing will end soon. Time is up for the warmonger profiteers,” Musk wrote on X, responding to a post about Trump's plan for Ukraine.
This comes amid reports that Musk participated in a call between US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the day after the presidential election, according to a source familiar with the matter as reported by CNN.
Another source mentioned that Trump was with Musk at Mar-a-Lago when Zelensky called to congratulate him. The conversation, described by someone briefed on the call, was positive and cordial. Trump placed the call on speaker, and Zelensky expressed gratitude to Musk for providing Starlink communications to Ukraine during its ongoing war with Russia. The call lasted around seven minutes, with no discussion of policy, CNN reported citing the same source.
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Trump’s victory comes at a critical time for Kiev, as Russia continues to make advances in the eastern Donbass region.
During his presidential campaign, Trump expressed skepticism about ongoing US support for Kiev, as the war stretches into its third year. He has also hinted that the US might push Ukraine toward a fragile truce with Russia.
Musk, whose pro-Trump super PAC contributed over $118 million to the 2024 campaign, has positioned himself as a leader in efforts to significantly reduce federal spending. Despite this, he has benefitted from billions in federal contracts with NASA, the military, and other government agencies.
Musk’s involvement in Trump’s call with Zelensky raises questions about the role and influence he may have in the incoming administration.
Pentagon says expects Trump to maintain Biden's Ukraine commitments
The US Department of Defense announced on Friday that it will continue providing military aid to Ukraine until the end of President Joe Biden’s term, aiming to exhaust the remaining allocated funds for supplies before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.
The White House is set to fast-track weapons deliveries to Ukraine, according to reports from Reuters and Politico on Wednesday. Citing unnamed US officials, the reports underscored concerns that, even with President Biden’s approval of further aid, the Pentagon could face delays in delivering the equipment, potentially taking months. This delay raises fears that the incoming president could halt the shipments at any time.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on Thursday that, despite some equipment being out of stock or requiring more time for delivery, the Defense Department anticipates that President-elect Trump will not block any aid packages already approved by President Biden. She clarified that the Pentagon still has around $4 billion in military aid available for Ukraine through the previously committed Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and about $2 billion through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
“When it comes to presidential drawdown packages, some things can arrive within days and weeks. Some items in those packages take longer. It does matter on what’s available on our shelves,” Singh said.
Furthermore, Singh assured that military aid packages for Ukraine will continue to be dispatched in the coming weeks, stating, “You’re going to continue to see packages roll out before the end of this administration.”
When questioned about whether the Pentagon has sufficient weapons and equipment in stock to utilize the remaining allocated funds before January 20, Singh sidestepped, saying, “We’re always constantly backfilling and restocking our shelves.”
She declined to give specifics, adding, “I’m not going to get into an Excel spreadsheet of what we have on our shelves, but we’re committed to providing Ukraine what it needs, including that $4 billion in authority. We are going to use it, and the president has committed to that.”
Since February 2022, the US Congress has authorized over $174 billion in military and other forms of aid to support the war in Ukraine.
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