Nobody 'pushing' Ukraine conflict more than Nuland: Elon Musk

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Feb 2023 22:33
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The tech mogul's statement came in response to a report on Russia's reaction to recent comments delivered by Nuland pushing for strikes on Crimea.

Victoria Nuland in Moldova in 2014. PC: U.S. Embassy Moldova

Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday that no one is pushing for conflict in Ukraine harder than US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.

Nobody is pushing this war more than Nuland
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2023

The tech mogul's statement came in response to a report on Russia's reaction to recent comments delivered by Nuland pushing for strikes on Crimea.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Nuland "belongs to a very broad camp of the most aggressive 'hawks' in American politics," adding that "this is a point of view that we know well."

He further pointed out that such statements prove, once again, "the depth of our disagreement [US and Russia]," adding that they further demonstrate "the role of the United States as the main instigator of the international tensions that we have."

Former US President Donald Trump likewise expressed on Tuesday his disapproval of Nuland for her role in fueling the conflict. Trump said that Nuland and other US officials are "obsessed" with the idea of Ukraine joining NATO.

Nuland has an extensive background in political affairs and assumed several government positions over the past decade.

In 2014, a phone leak between Nuland and then-US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt revealed that the two officials were debating who among Ukraine's opposition would ascend to the presidency.

Last month, Nuland downplayed the US' role in sabotaging the Nord Stream 2 pipeline by stating that the pipe "would not move forward" if Russia launched an operation in Ukraine.

Nuland on Crimean demilitarization

During a speech with the Carnegie Endowment think-tank on February 17, Nuland said that "Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is at a minimum demilitarized."

The Under Secretary further added that the US only recognized "Crimea as Ukraine" and that thus, Crimea is a "legitimate" target that Ukraine is hitting and the US is "supporting" that.

Crimea became part of Russia following a referendum held in March 2014, in which nearly 96% of Crimeans voted for accession to Russia.

While Ukraine still considers the peninsula to be its own territory, Russia has repeatedly stressed that the decision made by the Crimean people was in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter.