Innovator and entrepreneur Elon Musk is not one to shy away from Twitter spats. From swatting down an unprovoked attack from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to fact-checking President Biden's State of the Union Address, Musk has proven to be adept at landing punches with his Twitter account and 75+ million followers. Now, though, Musk is looking to take the fight off of Twitter and into the real world against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
I hereby challenge
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022
???????? ?????
to single combat
Stakes are ???????
?? ???????? ?? ???? ???? @KremlinRussia_E
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022
"I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat," Musk tweeted Monday morning. "Stakes are Ukraine."
"Do you agree to this fight?" Musk asked in a reply mentioning the official "President of Russia" account.
Apparently not satisfied with sparking a new space race in the United States, driving innovation on electric vehicles, and being TIME Person of the Year, Elon Musk now wants to fight Putin to determine the future of Ukraine. Honestly, why not?
Musk has gambled with fortunes before and most have turned out pretty well, why not put his luck on the side of Ukrainians? And, as Musk pointed out in replies questioning his challenge to Putin, he is "absolutely serious."
I am absolutely serious
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022
And, based on the unofficial Twitter evaluation of a Putin-Musk tussle, his odds aren't bad. He's got height and age on this side, plus he's hosted SNL.
Pretty much
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022
Whether Musk means the challenge as a publicity stunt or not, threatening to fight Putin for Ukraine is still more decisive action than President Biden has taken. From personally killing the plan to get fighter jets to Ukraine, to failing in his attempts to stall bipartisan calls from Congress to ban Russian oil imports, Biden's desire to avoid angering Putin — who was already angry and power hungry — has only seen Putin escalate his attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
And while Biden's offer to Zelensky — to flee Ukraine and leave his people behind to face the Russians — went unheeded, Musk quickly responded to Ukraine's pleas for communication infrastructure with his Starlink satellite internet and receivers.
Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2022
Starlink — here. Thanks, @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/dZbaYqWYCf
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) February 28, 2022
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