Business magnate Elon Musk has been criticised after posting a Twitter poll suggesting a number of resolutions to the Ukraine war.
One of the proposals involved Ukraine handing over some of its sovereign territory to Russia, which prompted backlash from Ukrainians.
Musk also suggested that the international community could formally recognise Crimea as part of Russia, after Vladimir Putin’s forces annexed the peninsula in 2014.
Another of the options involved holding legal referendums in parts of Ukraine that are occupied by Russian forces.
Musk said: “Russia leaves if that is will of the people.”
Musk’s poll comes after Putin signed “accession treaties” to declare the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as part of Russia last week.
The move follows “referendums” in the region, the outcomes of which favoured the territories being ceded to Russia. The votes have been declared illegal and fraudulent by Ukraine and the international community continues to recognise the territories as Ukrainian.
On the ground in the conflict, Russia currently does not fully control any of the four regions it has attempted to annex.
In response to Musk’s tweet, which drew in more than 1.5 million votes within eight hours, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky posted a poll of his own asking users if they would prefer an Elon Musk who supports Ukraine.
Zelensky posted: “Which @elonmusk do you like more?", with options including "One who supports Ukraine" or "One who supports Russia.”
Ukrainian politician Andrij Melnyk responded rather more explicitly to Musk’s list of suggestions, tweeting: “F*** off is my very diplomatic reply”.
Musk’s relationship with Ukraine has been more cordial at earlier points in the conflict, having been invited to visit Ukraine after the war by Zelensky after the billionaire had sent Starlink dishes to the country.
Photo by Tesla Owners Club Belgium on Wikimedia Commons
