U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is a retired NASA astronaut who spent 54 days in space. He’s also a retired U.S. Navy Captain, who served for 25 years including during the Gulf War, where he flew combat missions. But to Elon Musk, who leads President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Senator Kelly, a decorated aviator, is “a traitor.”
Kelly, who’s one of only two siblings who have ever traveled into orbit—his identical twin brother Scott is also a retired NASA astronaut—is married to the Democratic former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt but suffered a severe brain injury.
The Arizona Democratic Senator posted on social media — Elon Musk’s X platform — about his visit to Ukraine, a nation that has suffered devastating losses after President Donald Trump signaled full support for Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, and cut its military off from intelligence sharing.
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“Just left Ukraine. What I saw proved to me we can’t give up on the Ukrainian people,” Senator Kelly wrote on X Sunday evening. “Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin. Let me tell you about my trip and why it’s important we stand with Ukraine.”
“This war started with what Putin thought would be a three-day operation to take Kyiv and control of all of Ukraine. Now three years later, that hasn’t happened. American and allied support has been a big reason why, but I saw how cutting it off now risks everything so many Ukrainians have laid down their lives for. And while our support hasn’t been free, we haven’t sent even half of what President Trump says,” Kelly added.
Posing with hospital workers, Senator Kelly wrote, “Hospitals should never be targets in war, but Putin is a war criminal who targets hospitals routinely.” He talked about his visit to Kyiv, where he met injured soldiers who “told me how they want to get back to the fight,” and nurses who “shared their stories of the invasion with me through tears.”
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Senator Kelly also shared horrific stores that have since disappeared from the headlines.
“These nurses told me how they witnessed Russian soldiers raping children in front of their parents and then murdering these children in front of their parents. Horrendous war crimes which can never be forgiven,” he wrote. “Donald Trump says he trusts Putin and is trying to make him look like a friend and a good guy. I look forward to seeing Putin rot in prison.”
Kelly did not stop there, instead, he warned how President Trump’s action are putting Americans at risk:
“Donald Trump is trying to weaken Ukraine’s hand and we are owed an explanation. If Putin gains ground he won’t agree to a ceasefire and will eventually threaten a NATO ally and this puts American troops and the American people at risk.”
Senator Kelly wrote at length about an issue he knows well, having been a naval aviator.
“I met with Ukrainian pilots, one who I had met in Arizona when he was learning to fly the F-16. They are flying challenging combat missions against the Russians who are protected by a considerable electronic warfare and surface to air missile system defense.”
“When Trump cut off these pilots from US intelligence that they need to plan their missions, he blinded them to the threat and put them and their aircraft at risk. But worse than that, it helps the Russians advance further into Ukrainian territory and murder more Ukrainians. President Trump says the Russians are ‘hitting them hard’ in a tone of voice that implies approval. It is sickening to see from an American President. ‘Hitting them hard’ means more dead Ukrainian kids.”
He talked about the “innovation and fighting spirit of the Ukrainians,” and said America could learn from some of their innovation.
After his series of twelve posts, which included photos from his trip, Kelly received many responses, may offering praise and thanks. And, he received one from Elon Musk: “You are a traitor.”
Senator Kelly responded writing, “Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.”
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