• Elon Musk said in a private text it "didn't make sense" to buy Twitter as Russia invaded Ukraine.

• Musk said this months before formally attempting to back out of the $44 billion acquisition.

• Twitter's lawyer argued Tuesday the texts show Musk is motivated by concern over personal finances.

Elon Musk wanted to "slow down" his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter months after Russia invaded Ukraine, saying in private texts that it wouldn't make sense to buy Twitter "if we're heading into World War 3."

These private texts came to light in a hearing on Tuesday about pushing back a trial in October over Musk's deal to buy Twitter, along with other disputes about discovery. Musk told Twitter in July he was officially backing out of his agreement to buy the company in a letter that argued Twitter had wrongfully withheld data on "bots" and spam accounts.

The text messages were sent May 8 to a banker at Morgan Stanley, which is financing part of Musk's deal. In these texts, the billionaire also cited an upcoming speech from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin gave a speech on May 9 for Russia's 77th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany, where he said Russia's decision to invade Ukraine in February was the "only right decision" and falsely claimed the West was "preparing for invasion of Russia."

"Let's slow down just a few days," Twitter's lawyer said, reading out Musk's texts during the hearing. "Putin's speech tomorrow is really important. It won't make sense to buy Twitter if we're heading into World War 3."

A lawyer for Musk, Alex Spiro of Skadden Arps, said the characterization of the texts in court was, "utter nonsense as the full text chain shows." The full text chain is expected to be filed on the court docket next week.

Musk signed an agreement to buy Twitter and take it private in April. When Musk said he was dropping the deal in July, Twitter almost immediately sued him to enforce the contract and make Musk acquire it at the agreed upon $44 billion price. Musk is widely seen to be on the back foot in the ongoing court battle, set to go to a five-day trial in early October.