Billionaire Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson has been using social media to voice his political opinions and support of Ukraine. Branson wrote today on X:
“It was America and Britain that guaranteed the sovereignty of Ukraine and its borders in return for persuading them to give up their nuclear weapons. But, despite that, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 ‘not a shot was fired’ by either of these countries in defense of Ukraine. This only emboldened Putin to move further and attempt to take the whole of Ukraine.”
(4/4) Furthermore, for anyone to infer that Ukrainians are not brave is beyond contempt. Ukrainian people and their President are amongst the bravest people I’ve ever had the honour to meet.
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) April 25, 2025
Branson added: “For the sake of peace worldwide, we must learn from that mistake and stand firm with Ukraine. To cave now would send a terrible message to Russia, and to China, that aggression pays, and the US does not stand by its pledges.”
He concluded: “Furthermore, for anyone to infer that Ukrainians are not brave is beyond contempt. Ukrainian people and their President are amongst the bravest people I’ve ever had the honour to meet.”
Branson’s response came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped negotiations on Wednesday in London with Ukrainian officials and European allies to discuss peace plans with Russia, and after U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned that the U.S. might “walk away” from the negotiations process if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky doesn’t accept the American peace plan — which includes Ukraine accepting Crimea as a territory of Russia which goes against Ukraine’s Constitution.
U.S. President Donald Trump also threatened to walk away from Ukraine this week, making headlines portraying Zelensky as obstructing the peace process. Trump also said that Russian forces agreeing not to annex “all of Ukraine” was one of the “major concessions” Russian President Vladimir Putin would be making in U.S. peace proposal. Trump’s assertion, which mirrored Kremlin talking points, did not sound like a “concession” to Ukraine or its other allies.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President was “losing his patience.”
Note: When Trump — who bragged on the campaign trail about being able to end the Russian-Ukrainian war on “Day One” in office — blamed Zelensky for harming the negotiations process and having “no cards to play,” Branson quoted American naturalist John Burroughs on X: “A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”
"A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else." – John Burroughs
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) April 21, 2025
Zelensky issued a statement that expressed a belief that the U.S. would persevere in pursuing a solution that remained true to Ukraine’s Constitution.
Emotions have run high today. But it is good that 5 countries met to bring peace closer. Ukraine, the USA, the UK, France and Germany. The sides expressed their views and respectfully received each other’s positions. It’s important that each side was not just a participant but… pic.twitter.com/lDFV5WK8tw
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 23, 2025
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