Tech billionaire Elon Musk called on Wednesday for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “go” as Ukraine’s president, as Kiev raised concerns over US support for the war-torn country.
Ukraine accused the United States this week of helping Russia by failing to warn Kiev of incoming missile strikes and weakening its military response through changes to Musk’s satellite systems, which Ukraine uses for communications.
“And so the slaughter continues,” Musk wrote on X. “Time for Zelenskyy to go.”
Zelenskyy had called on Musk to restore Starlink, the satellite internet service developed by his SpaceX company, which Kiev says has been slowed down.
Musk said any disruption was the responsibility of the US government. He distinguished between Starshield, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications and which he said was controlled by Washington, and Starlink, a civilian satellite system that Ukraine also uses but is not permitted to deploy for offensive operations.
Zelenskyy feels ‘betrayed’
The dispute comes after Zelenskyy answered yes when asked whether he felt “betrayed” after US President Donald Trump announced a diesel supply deal with heavily sanctioned Russia.
A senior Ukrainian official also said the United States had recently threatened to stop providing intelligence on Russian missile launches, which Ukraine uses to help thwart attacks. Trump has denied the claim.
Trump, facing key midterm elections next month, has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for supply pressures and rising fuel prices, a major issue for voters.
