Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday invited Elon Musk to visit Ukraine to see the damage caused by Russian forces in the country, saying such a visit could help the billionaire understand the situation before making any announcements. He also said he did not believe there was an immediate threat that Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, would use nuclear weapons as the war enters a new phase of winter fighting. Mr. Zelensky’s comments, made via video link at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit, were a tacit rebuke of Mr. Musk, the businessman who last month proposed a peace plan for Ukraine that included ceding territory to Russia. “If you want to understand what Russia has done here, come to Ukraine and you will see it with your own eyes,” Mr. Zelensky said. “After that, you will tell us how to end this war, who started it, and when we can end it.” SpaceX, which Mr Musk owns, funds the operation of the Starlink internet service in Ukraine, where it has become a digital lifeline for soldiers and civilians amid Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure. Mr Musk rejected a threat in October to withdraw funding for the service in Ukraine. “To hell,” he tweeted. He added that “even though Starlink is still losing money” and “other companies are getting billions” in tax dollars, “we’re just going to keep funding” the Ukrainian service. Mr. Musk’s fortune gave him a prominent voice in geopolitics, and the Kremlin welcomed his proposal. Mr Zelensky posted a poll on Twitter asking: “Which Elon Musk do you like better: the one who supports Ukraine or the one who supports Russia?” Mr Musk later said in a tweet that he supported Ukraine. During the interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin of the Times, the video link was interrupted, and when it resumed, Mr. Sorkin joked that Mr. Musk might have somehow broken the connection. “I hear you,” said Mr. Zelensky. “The most important thing is that Mr. Musk will listen to us.” Mr. Zelensky said the risk of Mr. Putin using nuclear weapons was not his greatest fear and that it should not be the West’s greatest fear. “I don’t think he will use nuclear weapons,” Mr Zelensky said. “This is my opinion.” Instead, Western democracies should be more concerned about Putin’s expansionist military ambitions, he said. If his army succeeds in capturing parts of Ukraine, he said, other neighboring republics could be next.
