TEHRAN, February 21 (MNA) – Elon Musk attacked Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday, saying Ukrainians "despised" their president and that US leader Donald Trump was right to leave him out of talks with Russia aimed at ending the Ukraine war.The comments by the tech tycoon, who is leading Trump's huge US government overhaul, came as the White House told Zelensky to stop "insults" against Trump and sign a minerals deal with Washington.

SpaceX and Tesla boss Musk launched into a tirade against Zelensky on his X social network, accusing him without evidence of running a "massive graft machine feeding off the dead bodies of Ukrainian soldiers." "He knows he would lose in a landslide, despite having seized control of ALL Ukrainian media, so he canceled the election.

In reality, he is despised by the people of Ukraine," Musk wrote.

The world's richest person was supporting Trump, who has given falsely low figures for Zelensky's approval ratings and pushed for him to hold elections -- and in the process echoing the Kremlin's talking points on Ukraine.

Musk struck a calmer tone at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) later Thursday, saying that Trump was "so pragmatic" about the Ukraine war.

"The president has a lot of empathy.

He really cares," said Musk.

Zelensky was elected in 2019 for a five-year term but Ukraine has postponed elections due to martial law imposed following Russia's 2022 invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.

Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz separately urged Zelensky to cool his criticism of Trump amid a growing war of words with the US president.

"Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump were unacceptable," Waltz told a briefing at the White House to mark Trump's first month in office.

Trump accused Ukraine on Tuesday of having started the war, and doubled down on Wednesday by branding Zelensky a "dictator without elections." MNA/