Washington: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly has responded sharply to Elon Musk’s accusation of being a "traitor" for his recent visit to Ukraine, dismissing the billionaire as "not a serious guy."
Kelly, a Democratic senator and former Navy combat pilot, traveled to Kyiv earlier this month, marking his third visit since 2023.
During his trip, he met with wounded soldiers and Ukrainian officials, later emphasizing the importance of continued U.S. support for Ukraine. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he stated that his visit reinforced his belief that "we can't give up on the Ukrainian people" and stressed that any peace deal must include security guarantees for Ukraine.
Musk, who serves as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration, took issue with Kelly’s stance, calling him a "traitor" on X.
In a sharp rebuttal, Kelly responded, "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." Speaking to reporters later, he dismissed Musk’s remarks, suggesting the billionaire "should go back to building rockets."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Saudi Arabia, while his team prepares for a crucial meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The discussions come as Ukraine seeks to mend diplomatic ties following a tense February 28 visit to Washington, where Zelenskyy reportedly clashed with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.
In a separate development, Musk announced that X had suffered a "massive cyberattack" on Monday, with thousands of users reporting service disruptions. He later claimed in an interview with Fox News that IP addresses linked to the attack were traced to "the Ukraine area."
