Defence Secretary Grant Shapps blasts 'unhelpful' Elon Musk over X and Starlink ... trends now
Minister Grant Shapps waded into Elon Musk's war of words with Ukraine today, attacking the multi-billionaire's 'unhelpful' row with the war-torn country's government.
The Defence Secretary said Ukraine needed 'strong and steady friends' after Mr Musk lashed out at Kyiv on X (formerly Twitter) last night, mocking its demands for US aid to help kick the Russian invaders from its territory.
He sparked anger in Ukraine by posting a meme showing a photoshopped image of the Ukrainian leader and the caption: 'When it's been 5 minutes and you haven't asked for a billion dollars in aid'.
It was the latest development in a row which has seen the South Africa-born businessman accused of throttling use of his Starlink satellite system for attacks on Russian forces.
Last year he tweeted a 'peace plan' that proposed handing chunks of Ukrainian territory to Russia, prompting ambassador Andreij Melnyk tell him to 'f**k off'.
Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester today, Mr Shapps said: 'I think it is unhelpful, to be blunt. I thought it was very welcome, his initial stance. He then withdrew capacity from Starlink to our Ukrainian friends which I thought was very unfortunate.
'I can't speak for him or his motivations, he is a free individual, we live in a free world and he can tweet or X what he likes. But what Ukraine really needs is strong and steady friends … that is what you need when you are alone, the only country being attacked and you looking to maintain what is a long-term war which may continue for a long time.'
The Defence Secretary said Ukraine needed 'strong and steady friends' after Mr Musk lashed out at Kyiv on X (formerly Twitter ) last night, mocking its demands for US aid to help kick the Russian invaders from its territory.
Musk sparked anger in Ukraine by posting a meme showing a photoshopped image of the Ukrainian leader and the caption: 'When it's been 5 minutes and you haven't asked for a billion dollars in aid'.
Elon Musk escalated his feud with Ukraine last night with a tweet (pictured) mocking the country's president Volodymyr Zelensky for his pleas for wartime assistance
Outrage quickly built over Musk's tweet, and Kyiv was quick to hit back at the
