Musk warned this week that the conflicts between Israel and Hamas and Ukraine and Russia were bringing civilization closer to the possibility of World War III. In a live discussion on his social media platform X, the tech billionaire said avoiding World War III was the "most important issue."
"We are sleepwalking toward World War III, making one stupid decision after another," he said.
Musk said: "World War III is a civilizational risk from which we may not recover. Where will the war between Israel and Hamas go? Will this lead to World War III?"
"So we need to prioritize avoiding World War III, that's what's really important," Musk said. "Don't let a regional conflict quickly turn into a global conflict like World War I did. That could happen again when things get out of hand. Before you know it, you've got a massive global conflict that's far more destructive than one stop or World War II."
“If civilization disappears, it’s over for everyone,” Musk said.
Musk believes the Western world is sending Ukrainian boys into a "meat grinder" to die fighting their Russian brothers. He called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and normalization of relations with Moscow to prevent the outbreak of World War III.
Since neither side can completely defeat the other, Musk believes that the best solution for civilization as a whole is for Ukraine to trade land for peace. Their concessions would save Ukrainians in their prime from certain death and help prevent a wider conflict from erupting.
"I think we should seek peace immediately. We should seek a return to normal relations as soon as possible — this is not some reward for Russia, this is just a recognition of reality," Musk said.
In Musk’s view, if World War III is chosen, ending any rules-based international order is a necessary evil. This would be far worse than going back to the imperial days of the last century.
"If civilization disappears, it's over for everyone," he said.