Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk says he looks forward to visiting Ukraine, presumably after the war is over.
What Happened: A video posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Instagram account shows him speaking with Musk via video-chat and inviting the tech leader to visit Ukraine. Musk replies, saying he "looks forward to visiting once thing are…" The 13-second video clip cuts off before Musk completes his sentence, although he was likely indicating a potential visit to the country once the conflict is resolved.
Zelensky confirmed via Twitter that his spoke with Musk, and thanked him for making the Starlink system available to Ukraine. He went on to say that the two discussed working on "space projects" after the fighting was over.
Talked to @elonmusk. I'm grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Discussed possible space projects. But I'll talk about this after the war.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 5, 2022
Why It Matters: The Tesla CEO and head of Starlink provided terminals to the Ukrainian government to help its people maintain internet connectivity in the midst of the Russian invasion. A Ukrainian engineer said the service was providing "really good (internet) connectivity" in the country.
Musk on Saturday responded to those who want him to block access to Russian news outlets on Starlink, saying that he would only do so "at gunpoint."
The Tesla chief has been keeping a close eye on the developing conflict, and the resulting spike in energy costs. He noted that even though it may have a negative impact on Tesla, it's time to immediately increase the output of oil and gas.
Latest Developments: In a follow-up tweet on Sunday morning, Zelensky reiterated his call for NATO to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Breaking! pic.twitter.com/VCL5mpOVMi
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 6, 2022
Such a declaration would mean that if a Russian aircraft flew into the NATO military no-fly zone, then NATO forces would have to take action against that aircraft, including shooting the plane down. That kind of measure would likely be viewed by the Russians as an act of war by NATO and would potentially escalate the conflict.
Photo: Courtesy of TED Conference on Flickr
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