Elon Musk Blasts Chess Champion Who Criticized His Ukraine Proposal

Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to criticism from Russian Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov via Twitter on Wednesday. Musk tweeted that aside from chess, Kasparov “is otherwise an idiot” and a “douche.”

In an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Monday, Kasparov advocates of “some kind of settlement,” as host Andrew Sorkin framed the question, between Russia and Ukraine. Kasparov called the concept “moral idiocy and total ignorance of lessons of history.”

In particular, Kasparov accused Musk of “moral idiocy and geopolitical blindness,” after the Tesla CEO suggested Ukraine could potentially cede Crimea and the city of Sevastapol to Russia in exchange for peace.

"The cost is huge but Ukraine is paying this cost. So why are people sitting in the comfort of their mansions in Silicon Valley telling Ukraine how to conduct their own affairs," says @Kasparov63 of @elonmusk. "It's moral idiocy and geopolitical blindness." pic.twitter.com/Iz2wnU2uDC

— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) October 24, 2022

Responding to critics who question the cost of aiding Ukraine, Kasparov told Sorkin, “The cost is huge but Ukraine is paying this cost,” before adding, “So why are people sitting in the comfort of their mansions in Silicon Valley telling Ukraine how to conduct their own affairs?”

Musk replied to the Squawk Box Twitter clip saying, “While it’s true that Kasparov is almost as good at playing chess as my iPhone, he is otherwise an idiot”