Elon Musk’s Ukraine Peace Plan Divides Americans, Poll Shows

More than half of Americans are divided about whether Elon Musk’s recent suggestions on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war would actually work, according to a poll.

A survey conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on behalf of Newsweek revealed that one-third (33 percent) of eligible voters in the United States agreed with the proposals put out by the SpaceX and Tesla CEO on Twitter on October 3.

However, just under a quarter (24 percent) of those taking part in the survey said they do not think the ideas suggested by Musk, which were heavily criticized by Ukrainian officials, are achievable.

Just weeks before the world’s richest man completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, Musk put his suggestions on how to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict in a poll and asked his then 108 million followers to vote “yes” or “no.”

Above, Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during a press conference at SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. A poll conducted for Newsweek found that U.S. voters are divided on whether Musk’s plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war would work. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

The key points from Musk’s proposals were for Crimea to formally become part of Russia, eight years after Moscow annexed the region from Ukraine, and that Ukraine “remains neutral” and not join NATO.

Musk also suggested there would be a “redo” of elections in annexed regions and would Russia would leave the territories if that was the “will of the people.”

“Ukraine-Russia Peace: – Redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. Russia leaves if that is will of the people. – Crimea formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (until Khrushchev’s mistake). – Water supply to Crimea assured. – Ukraine remains neutral,” Musk tweeted.

The results of Musk’s Twitter poll found that 59.1 percent disagreed that his suggestions would work.

Musk later had to deny allegations that he spoke to Vladimir Putin before tweeting out his ideas to end the Ukraine invasion, which heavily favored the Russian president.

The Redfield & Wilton Strategie/Newsweek survey also found nearly half (43 percent) said they “don’t know” if the plan proposed by Musk could form the basis of a stable peace settlement to end the war, suggesting the issue may be more complicated than the tech billionaire’s online poll suggests.

Elsewhere, in the Newsweek survey, 52 percent of U.S. voters said they believe that Ukraine should aim to recover all territory lost since February 2022—when Russia fully invaded the country—rather than those lost since 2014, such as Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk, before attempting peace negotiations.

Nearly two-thirds (60 percent) believe that seeking to remove Putin from power would be the best war to end the war, with 18 percent thinking such a move would go “too far.”

One of the arguments for appeasing Russia and its demands amid the Ukraine invasion is the ongoing threat of Moscow launching nuclear weapons. According to the poll, 58 percent of respondents believe there is a “realistic possibility” that Putin may use a nuclear bomb in Ukraine if the war carries on.

With regards to when the conflict may end one way or another, 41 percent said they don’t know if either Ukraine or Russia is more likely to win the war at this moment, while 33 percent believe the war will end in 2024 or later.

Just over one-third (37 percent) believe that the longer this war continues, the more that favors Ukraine.

The Redfield & Wilton Strategies/Newsweek poll surveyed 1,500 respondents between October 23-24, with a margin of error of 2.5 percent.