In response to Elon Musk tweeting earlier this week how he believes Russia and Ukraine should mend their ongoing military conflict, Sen. Lindsey Graham took to Twitter on Wednesday to call out the mogul for not really knowing what he’s talking about.
“With all due respect to Elon Musk – and I do respect him – I would suggest he needs to understand the facts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Graham said. “Suggesting we end the Russian invasion by simply giving Russia parts of Ukraine – after all the suffering – is dumb. It is also an affront to the bravery of the Ukrainians fighting to defend their homeland.”
On Monday, Tesla CEO Musk fired off a series of tweets urging Ukraine to negotiate a solution to end Russia’s invasion and cede Crimea to the Kremlin.
“Russia is doing partial mobilization. They go to full war mobilization if Crimea is at risk. Death on both sides will be devastating,” Musk wrote. “Russia has >3 times population of Ukraine, so victory for Ukraine is unlikely in total war. If you care about the people of Ukraine, seek peace.”
Graham responded Wednesday with a history lesson for Musk on why Ukraine should be protected as a sovereign state.
“In 1994, through the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons arsenal — the third largest in the world — in return for assurances their territorial integrity would be protected,” he wrote. “It was an agreement signed by Russia that included protecting Crimea and the Donbas as part of Ukraine. If you want peace in Ukraine — which we ALL do — simply demand Russian honor the boundaries they agreed to in 1994 and withdraw their forces. To do otherwise is to legitimize a bait and switch by Russia and a signal to other bad actors to take what you want – by force!”
Sen. Graham continued: “If Elon Musk and others want the world to continue to be in chaos, then by all means capitulate to Putin and reward his aggression.”
The South Carolina politician then threw in some policy to conclude his argument.
“While we’re at it, maybe the Congress should revisit the electric vehicle tax credit boondoggle. It is where the credit is now solely benefiting electric vehicle manufacturers who have increased prices equal to the tax credit! It could be a good way to help save money by applying those funds to assisting Ukrainians in defending their homeland!”
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