Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk says he is looking forward to visiting Ukraine, presumably after the war is over.
What happened: A video posted to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Instagram account shows him talking to Musk via video chat and inviting the tech leader to visit Ukraine. Musk replies, saying he’s “looking forward to a visit when the time comes…” The 13-second video clip cuts off before Musk completes his sentence, though he likely hinted at a possible visit to the country once the conflict is resolved.
Zelensky confirmed via Twitter that he had spoken to Musk and thanked him for making the Starlink system available to Ukraine. He went on to say that the two talked about working on “space projects” after the fighting was over.
Talked to @Elon Musk† I am grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Possible space projects discussed. But I will talk about it after the war.
— олодимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 5, 2022
Why it matters: The Tesla CEO and the head of Starlink supplied terminals to the Ukrainian government to help its people maintain internet connectivity during the Russian invasion. A Ukrainian engineer said the service provided “very good (Internet) connectivity” in the country.
Musk responded on Saturday to those who want him to block access to Russian newscasts on Starlink, saying he would only do so “at gunpoint.”
The Tesla chief has been closely monitoring the evolving conflict and resulting spike in energy costs. He noted that while it could have a negative impact on Tesla, it is time to immediately increase oil and gas production.
Latest developments: In a follow-up tweet on Sunday morning, Zelensky reiterated his call for NATO to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Break! pic.twitter.com/VCL5mpOVMi
— олодимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 6, 2022
Such a statement would mean that if a Russian aircraft were to fly into NATO’s military no-fly zone, NATO forces would have to take action against that aircraft, including shooting the aircraft down. Such a move would likely be seen by the Russians as an act of war by NATO and could potentially escalate the conflict.
Also read: ‘Bad weather maybe:’ Elon Musk dives into Russia as country cries for SpaceX and lends a hand in Ukraine
Photo: Courtesy of TED Conference on Flickr
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