Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and head of the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), referred to as Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly a "traitor" in a submit on X after the senator shared particulars of his go to to Ukraine.
In a thread on March 9, Kelly posted images from the journey, emphasizing that whereas everybody desires the struggle to finish, any settlement should shield Ukraine’s safety and never function a concession to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Musk responded on to the submit, accusing Kelly of betrayal.
Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut, swiftly replied, criticizing Musk’s stance.
"Traitor? Elon, should you don't perceive that defending freedom is a fundamental tenet of what makes America nice and retains us secure, possibly you must depart it to these of us who do," he wrote on March 10.
Chatting with reporters later, Kelly dismissed Musk as "not a critical man" and urged he ought to “return to constructing rockets” quite than participating in political issues. The senator additionally accused Musk of prioritizing the pursuits of billionaires over the American folks, pointing to his affect in authorities insurance policies, together with funds cuts affecting veterans’ providers.
Throughout his go to to Ukraine, Kelly met with authorities officers, embassy workers, and army leaders. He described the journey as emotional, stressing the urgency of delivering munitions and intelligence help to Ukrainian forces.
"That is existential for them, and once more, over the previous week or so, we've made it tougher for them," he stated, referring to current U.S. coverage shifts. Kelly warned that delays in offering army help would result in extra Ukrainian casualties, including, "They’ll stick to us. We stick to them. They are going to be there for us sooner or later, it doesn’t matter what we want."
Musk’s feedback come amid heightened tensions in U.S.-Ukraine relations, following a contentious Oval Workplace assembly between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The dialogue escalated right into a heated alternate, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance blaming Zelensky for the struggle, regardless of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The assembly ended with out an settlement that may have granted the U.S. entry to Ukraine’s mineral assets—an association Kyiv had hoped would safe continued American army help.
Kelly, together with different Democratic lawmakers, has been vocal in opposing the Trump administration’s shift away from sturdy U.S. backing for Ukraine.
"If we abandon our ally Ukraine, we might be seen by different international locations together with our different allies as untrustworthy and sooner or later we shouldn't count on their assist," he posted on X.
The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan
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