Musk's bid to be unofficial U.S. vice president may backfire — political scientist

He shared his opinions with on Espreso TV.

"On one hand, Musk’s posts on the social network X are typical of him — trolling and provocative comments. He’s done this repeatedly, touching on various issues. But his response to Zelenskyy's words is truly an unpleasant story. Ukrainian users have flooded his post with comments," Reiterovych said.

He added that Musk often dives into matters beyond his expertise. According to the political scientist, this tendency could backfire.

"In this case, Musk is twisting the context and implying that Ukraine will blindly follow U.S. directives. On the flip side, his behavior is part of a larger pattern that’s losing him favor among Americans, especially Republicans. They’re getting tired of Musk being everywhere — particularly in Donald Trump’s orbit — and meddling in issues he has no business with. Frankly, his bid to act like an unofficial vice president won’t end well for him," he explained.

Reiterovych emphasized the importance of Ukraine finding a way to communicate with Musk, given his potential influence on U.S. decision-making during Trump’s presidency.

"If I were part of the Ukrainian government, I’d approach this carefully and work on establishing a channel of communication with Musk. There are rumors that he talks to Putin almost daily. If that’s true, he could play a key role in shaping Trump’s decisions on the Russian-Ukrainian war during its early stages," he warned.

• On November 16, Elon Musk sparked controversy with a post on X, responding to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement that Ukraine is an independent nation and will not be forced by the U.S. to "sit and listen" at the negotiating table.