Tech titan Elon Musk has suggested crippling sanctions on Ukraine’s oligarchs is the key to halting the nation’s bloody conflict with Russia
Musk, 53, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, called for sanctions targeting Ukraine’s wealthiest elite in a post on X Sunday morning.
The stunning intervention was a radical departure from the current strategy focused on punishing Russia for its unprovoked invasion of the country.
‘Place sanctions on the top 10 Ukrainian oligarchs, especially the ones with mansions in Monaco, and this will stop immediately. That is the key to the puzzle,’ Musk wrote bluntly.
The remark comes at the end of a week of intensive debate in Washington over whether continued US financial and military aid to Kyiv is sustainable as the war drags on with no clear end in sight.
Republican Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) recently argued that the US shouldn’t offer ‘another penny’ to Ukraine – a view echoed by growing segments of the American public weary of the seemingly endless bloodshed and multibillion-dollar aid packages.
Facing a torrent of criticism for his stance, including accusations that he’s gone soft on Russian aggression, Musk doubled down on his position, invoking his personal efforts to support Ukraine’s defense.
‘I literally challenged Putin to one on one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off,’ Musk fired back at critics accusing him of siding with Moscow.
Elon Musk has suggested that the United States impose crippling sanctions – not on Russia, but on Ukraine’s own oligarchs
Musk remains a central figure in Ukraine’s defense with Starlink indispensable to Ukrainian military operations. Pictured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Since the early days of the war, Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system has played a crucial role in maintaining Ukrainian military communications as Russia relentlessly targeted infrastructure across the country.
Musk has previously bristled at suggestions that he isn’t doing enough, and his latest comments underscore his frustration with what he sees as a futile and grinding conflict.
‘What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose. Anyone who really cares, really thinks and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop. PEACE NOW!’ Musk wrote, making one of his most explicit calls to date for an immediate end to the war, even if it means Ukraine making painful concessions.
Musk’s words come at a delicate moment in US foreign policy as Trump has signaled his own shift toward a more aggressive push for negotiations to end the war – while also hinting at potential sanctions on Russia.
On Friday, Trump said he is ‘strongly considering’ levying new sanctions and tariffs on Russia, floating the possibility of new pressure on Moscow just days after he ordered a pause on US military assistance and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed last week that Washington has ‘halted its intelligence sharing efforts’ as Ukraine struggles to hold off Russia’s advancing forces.
‘Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!’ Trump declared on his Truth Social platform.
The sanctions threat came as Trump faces criticism for increasing pressure on Ukraine to reach a deal while playing down and even denying Russia’s responsibility for starting the war .
On Friday, Trump said he was ‘strongly considering’ levying new sanctions and tariffs on Russia, floating the possibility of new pressure on Moscow
Service members of the 117th Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces operate a Ukrainian-made 120mm mortar towards Russian positions on Sunday in Sumy region, Ukraine
Musk appeared to call for US sanctions against wealthy Ukrainians as a means of pushing for an end to the bloody war
Musk doubled down on his position, invoking his personal efforts to support Ukraine’s defense
Vladimir Putin’s (pictured) forces have allegedly been using Starlink satellites
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
In an apparent attempt to clarify his position later in the day, Trump acknowledged the complexities of the war, telling reporters it’s ‘more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine,’ suggesting his frustration with Kyiv’s resistance to direct talks with Moscow.
High-level US and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia later this week to discuss possible paths to peace, including contentious issues surrounding a stalled mineral agreement.
Musk’s suggestion to sanction Ukraine’s wealthy elite taps into simmering frustration over persistent allegations of corruption among some Ukrainian power brokers, even as their country faces an existential war for survival.
The suggestion to sanction oligarchs who have homes in Monaco, some of whom are believed to be shielding vast fortunes in European havens, raises tough questions for Kyiv, and for its allies, about who is truly invested in winning the war and who may be profiting from it.
In the past, Musk has shown a willingness to insert himself into world affairs with headline-grabbing proposals, including a 2022 challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin for ‘single combat’ over Ukraine, a fight that never materialized — though it drew ridicule from Russian officials who derisively dubbed him ‘Elona.’
Talks broke down between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump when they met in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 28
person looks at damaged buildings two days after a Russian shelling in Dobropillya, Donetsk on Sunday
A man walks past a damaged building in Kostyantynivka on Sunday amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Damaged buildings two days after a Russian shelling in Dobropillya, Donetsk, Ukraine. A combined strike by Russian forces killed at least 11 people and injured over 50 others
‘I literally challenged Putin to one on one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army,’ Musk contended in response to a user that accused him of attacking Ukraine more than Russia. ‘Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.’
Despite the drama, Musk remains a central figure in Ukraine’s defense with Starlink indispensable to Ukrainian military operations.
His warning that the country’s ‘entire front line would collapse’ without his support underscores just how much leverage he holds over Kyiv’s war effort.