Ukrainian diplomat Andriy Melnyk told billionaire Elon Musk to “f— off” after the SpaceX and Tesla CEO proposed Ukraine give up some territory and hold new elections in contested regions to end the war with Russia.
Musk tweeted out a poll on Monday asking respondents to weigh in on his proposal to end the war: redoing elections of annexed regions under United Nations supervision, giving up the Crimean peninsula to Russia and maintaining Ukraine as a neutral country between Russia and the West.
“This is highly likely to be the outcome in the end – just a question of how many die before then,” Musk wrote. “Also worth noting that a possible, albeit unlikely, outcome from this conflict is nuclear war.”
Melnyk responded shortly after: “F– off is my very diplomatic reply to you.”
The Ukrainian was his country’s ambassador to Germany until the end of September.
Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky in July announced he would recall Melnyk at the end of September after the then-ambassador came into conflict with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other German leaders. Melnyk accused the Germans of having close ties to Russia.
Melnyk reportedly called Scholz an “offended liver sausage” before he left his post, according to DW News, which is the equivalent of deeming someone a “snowflake.”
Musk has provided Starlink satellite service as a way for Ukraine to increase its internet connectivity. Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky said he was “grateful” for Musk taking that action.
The world’s richest man also challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “single combat” over the spring.
Russia annexed four territories in eastern Ukraine last week in elections that are widely considered shams and which Putin celebrated over the weekend. Russia also continues to hold the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014 after an invasion.