Elon Musk challenges Putin to ‘single combat’, Russia's space agency chief calls Tesla boss 'weakling'

Washington, Mar 15: Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk on Monday challenged Russian President Vladimir over Ukraine. He said that the stakes are Ukraine.

In a tweet, the billionaire said, "I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat." He tagged the Kremlin and asked, "Do you agree to this fight?". He added that the stakes are Ukraine.

While Russia has not responded to the billionaire's Tweet, however, the head of the Russian Space Agency responded by calling Musk a 'weakling' in his Tweet in Russian.

Musk, the world's richest man, had provided Ukraine with internet connectivity through his company's Starlink satellites. He tweeted saying that 'More terminals en route', within hours of Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo tweet and appeal for the tech billionaire to activate the internet service.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, in an attempt to 'demilitarise and denazify' the country.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday its forces had advanced 11 kilometers (7 miles) over the past 24 hours.

A fourth round of talks was underway Monday between Ukrainian and Russian officials via video conference to discuss getting aid to cities and towns under fire, among other issues. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted a photo of the two sides meeting by video link.

Zelenskyy has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with him directly, a request that has gone unanswered by the Kremlin.