Elon Musk justifies Russia's announcement of using nukes against Kyiv; 'nothing to lose'

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has again justified Russia's announcement of using nukes against Ukraine if it does not follow the terms and conditions laid by the aggressor. Taking to the microblogging site, Musk explained why Russia has been taking such harsh as well as brutal steps against Ukraine and claimed Russia has been left with only two options-- either to lose Crimea or use nuclear weapons against the already war-embattled nation. According to Musk, the West and European Union have already imposed enough sanctions on Moscow and "has nothing to lose". He warned if Russia would use nukes, the world will witness a third world war. 

"If Russia is faced with the choice of losing Crimea or using battlefield nukes, they will choose the latter. We’ve already sanctioned/cut off Russia in every possible way, so what more do they have left to lose? If we nuke Russia back, they will nuke us and then we have WW3," he wrote on Twitter.

Further, in the next tweet, Musk called Crimea a core part of Russia and added the region is critical for Moscow in terms of national security. In a pro-Russian post, Musk compared Crimea's importance with Hawaii and Pearl Harbor for the United States.
"Whether one likes it or not, Crimea is absolutely seen as a core part of Russia by Russia. Crimea is also of critical national security importance to Russia, as it is their southern navy base. From their standpoint losing Crimea is like the USA losing Hawaii & Pearl Harbor," he added. 

Pro-Russian tweet: Not the first time

The critical remarks from Musk came nearly a week after he endorsed Russia's step to annex Ukrainian regions and argued some parts of the war-embattled nation have a majority and want to join the Moscow flank. He contested that the voice of people who lives in the war zone matters the most and added some eastern portions have Russian majorities and prefer the Russian administration. Notably, he was pointing fingers at the recently concluded elections in Ukraine's Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk, wherein Moscow claimed the residents voted to merge with Russia-- a claim that the world leaders termed as "shams".

Musk echoes Putin's words despite facing fierce criticism

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted he would use nuclear weapons to defend his territory after annexing four regions of Ukraine last month. Though his words received global condemnation, including at the United Nations, Putin's top officials confirmed his staunch stand on the ongoing war. Moreover, the Group of Seven (G7) nations warned that the use of nuclear weapons on Ukraine will have severe consequences, according to a statement released by the White House. Besides, US President Joe Biden said, "I don't think there is any such thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon."

However, the critical remarks from the billionaire were criticised by several including Senator Lindsey Graham, who asked Musk to understand the real facts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Taking a dig at Musk's suggestions, Graham stressed it would be a "dumb" step to simply give Ukrainian parts to Moscow and added the move will affront the valour of the Ukrainian army which has been fighting to defend their homeland. The Senator also recalled the 1994 Budapest Memorandum wherein Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons arsenal in return for assurances that its territorial integrity would be protected.

Image: AP