Garry Kasparov Says Rishi Sunak's First Phone Call As UK PM Was To 'The Leader Of The Free World' — It Wasn't Joe Biden

Russian Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, who holds a pro-Ukraine stance, said the new U.K. Prime Minister made his first call "to the leader of the free world" after Rishi Sunak and the Ukrainian president discussed the war on Tuesday. 

What Happened: Kasparov, in a tweet on Thursday, said that according to "old tradition," the first call by a U.K. prime minister is usually made to Washington. However, defying norms this time, Sunak, who took charge as prime minister on Tuesday, made his first call to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and not U.S. President Joe Biden.

Following old tradition, the first phone call of the new UK prime minister went to the leader of the free world. But this time it was to Zelensky in Kyiv, not DC! https://t.co/cPBsDZE0QK

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 26, 2022

See Also: Putin Bats For Quicker Weapons Production As Ukraine War Rages: 'Need To Gain Higher Tempo In All Areas'

Benzinga could not independently verify the fact, and the U.K. prime minister's office did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

Zelenskyy was the first world leader to speak to Sunak on Tuesday night as he became the new PM of the U.K. after Liz Truss resigned within 45 days in office — the shortest tenure of any U.K. prime minister.

"I believe that the partnership between our countries and the already traditional British leadership in defense of democracy and freedom will be further strengthened. I invited the prime minister to visit Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

Meanwhile, Kasparov on Monday came down hard on Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk for his comments about the Ukraine war. In a CNBC interview, Kasparov said, "Why are people sitting in the comfort of their Silicon Valley mansions telling Ukraine how to run their own business?" Musk later hit back on Twitter and even called Kasparov "an idiot."

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