Elon Musk slams Ukrainian President Zelensky for prolonging war: ‘Cruel and inhumane’

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticise Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of making a "cruel and inhumane" choice by continuing the war with Russia.

"What I said over 2 years ago was that Ukraine should seek peace or suffer severe loss of life for no gains. The latter was Zelensky’s choice. Now, he wants to do that again. This is cruel and inhumane," Musk wrote.

His comments follow increasing tensions between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, which escalated after a heated exchange at the White House.

Declining US support for Zelensky

Musk also highlighted a decline in American support for the Ukrainian leader. Citing a CNN report, he noted, "Zelensky damaged himself severely in the eyes of the public. Just a fact."

According to the report, US public confidence in Zelensky dropped from 72% in 2022 to 48% in 2024, while the percentage of Americans who believe the US is providing Ukraine with "too much" support rose from 7% in 2022 to 41% in 2025.

Musk also called for accountability regarding US financial aid to Ukraine, posting, "Time to find out what really happened to the hundreds of billions of dollars sent to Ukraine …"

Meanwhile, pro-Ukraine demonstrators gathered outside a Tesla showroom in New York, displaying banners supporting Zelensky and chanting, "Zelensky is our hero."

Top US officials suggest Zelensky may need to step down

Senior Washington officials, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, suggested on Sunday that Zelensky might need to step down to reach a peace deal with Russia.

"We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians, and end this war," Waltz told CNN. "And if it becomes apparent that President Zelensky's either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in this country, then I think we have a real issue."

House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed this sentiment, stating, "Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that."

Trump’s shift on Ukraine sparks backlash

The remarks from top Republicans follow Trump’s public clash with Zelensky during a televised Oval Office meeting on Friday. The tense exchange resulted in Zelensky leaving the White House without the expected signing of a preliminary pact on sharing Ukrainian mineral rights.

While European leaders have reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, several Republican officials openly questioned whether Zelensky remains the right leader to negotiate a deal with Russia.

Democrats, however, strongly pushed back against Trump’s shift in stance. "The White House has become an arm of the Kremlin," said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, one of Trump's most vocal critics. "It appears America is trying to align itself with dictators."

Calls for negotiations with Russia

Despite the divisions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintained that engaging both sides in talks is the only way to move toward peace.

"You cannot end a war unless both sides come to the table," Rubio told ABC. "I'm not promising you it's possible… I'm saying it's zero percent likely if we don't get them to a negotiating table."

As tensions mount in Washington, the debate over US support for Ukraine and Zelensky’s leadership is intensifying, raising questions about the future of the war and America’s role in it.