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Zelensky says Elon Musk 'has no right' to shape politics in Europe and Ukraine
In an interview with Germany's ZDF, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the world's richest man has no right to influence who governs Germany or Ukraine, warning that concentrating so much power in one wealthy person's hands is dangerous. He also pinned new hopes on Democrats after their midterm win.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken direct aim at Elon Musk, saying the billionaire has no right to influence how Europe lives or who holds power in Germany and Ukraine. Zelensky made the remarks in an interview with Jan Böhmermann, host of the German satirical show "ZDF Magazin Royale," which went online on Nov. 4 and is scheduled to air on ZDF on Friday, Nov. 6.
Asked about Musk's growing political footprint, Zelensky said the SpaceX and Tesla chief's online statements carry real weight precisely because of his fortune.
"I believe Elon Musk's influence, what he says in his messages, what he thinks about how Europe should live, who should play the leading role in Germany, who should be in power in Ukraine — these are not just words," Zelensky said. "When they come from a very rich person, they carry influence. And he has no right to influence these things. He is a citizen of another country."
The comments point to a pattern that has unsettled European capitals. Ahead of Germany's snap election in February 2025, Musk openly championed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). In mid-October 2026, according to the Kyiv Post, he said Zelensky should go after Kyiv objected to U.S. restrictions on satellite services and intelligence sharing.
'The whole point of the separation of powers'
Böhmermann pressed Zelensky on what he thinks about a very rich person like Musk holding so much power. The Ukrainian leader, a former comedian who has spent nearly five years leading a country at war, framed his answer as a lesson in democratic basics.
"Having so much power concentrated in the hands of a very rich person is dangerous," Zelensky said. "Concentrating power in the hands of one person who doesn't have much money is also dangerous. That is the whole point of the separation of powers — making sure that everything is not concentrated in the hands of one person."
The exchange lands as Washington debates Musk's reach into national security. On Oct. 28, the Pentagon's Office of Inspector General turned down a bipartisan request from nine senators to examine the issue, saying the Air Force was better placed to handle it, the Kyiv Post reported.
The Starlink rupture
Relations between Kyiv and SpaceX soured sharply in October. Ukrainian officials said Starlink restrictions imposed overnight on Oct. 13–14 disrupted the interceptor drones Ukraine uses against Russia's jet-powered Shahed drones. On Oct. 24, Musk acknowledged that SpaceX had throttled the service and accused Ukraine's military of violating commercial terms of use, including by using terminals for offensive drone strikes — a claim Ukrainian defense officials rejected. Kyiv later said Starlink and its military version, Starshield, were fully restored.
Zelensky told the ZDF interviewer he remains grateful to SpaceX for the connectivity that "was very helpful at the beginning of the war," but added: "Of course we don't like his position on this war." He went further when the conversation turned to Musk's quips about the fighting.
"We don't like his attitude toward this war when he thinks about how Russia is losing soldiers," Zelensky said. "The aggressor — God bless that they lose soldiers who are on another territory, not on their own land. I don't know whether he is serious or not serious when he is joking. These are not jokes that I can understand, but I understand jokes very well."
'And who is the second richest? Putin'
In a PBS NewsHour interview aired Nov. 2, Zelensky said Musk had been in contact with both him and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the very start of the full-scale invasion, and that SpaceX never reached out to Kyiv after the October restrictions. Putin, for his part, called Musk a "genius" in late October. With ZDF, Zelensky turned that pairing into a jab at the Kremlin.
"Elon Musk is the richest man in the world, so they say. And who is the second richest? Putin," he said. "Maybe Putin is the richest. I don't know. It's frightening." Putin's personal wealth has never been officially disclosed.
Hopes pinned on a Democratic Congress
ZDF billed the conversation as Zelensky's first since the U.S. midterm elections, which the broadcaster described as a landslide for Democrats. Zelensky was careful to thank both parties, but made clear where he sees new momentum for Ukraine.
"We have bipartisan support, support from both parties. I am also grateful to the Republicans," Zelensky said. "But the Democrats speak very clearly about supporting Ukraine and providing assistance to Ukraine. They talk about restoring ties between the U.S. and Europe, which have been somewhat lost in recent years. And that is very important to us." He told ZDF he hopes for a new balance of power, and that if Congress now talks about strong financial or military support the way Europe does, "that will be something positive that will influence Putin."
The wide-ranging interview also touched on Zelensky's unlikely path from comedian to wartime president, British pop star James Blunt and skiing in the Austrian resort of Ischgl.
Video: ZDF Magazin Royale via social media. Photos: Wikimedia Commons
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