Elon Musk Slams Senator as ‘Traitor’ After Visit to Ukraine

By Aila Slisco

Elon Musk has accused Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, of being a “traitor” for visiting Ukraine and advocating for the Eastern European country amid its ongoing war with Russia.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Kelly’s office and X, the Musk-owned social media platform formerly known as Twitter, via email on Monday.

Why It Matters

Musk, the world’s richest man and a key figure advising President Donald Trump‘s administration, has urged the United States to drop military support for Ukraine more than three years after Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s forces invaded the county.

Relations between the U.S. and Ukraine have taken a nosedive since Trump began his second term in January. They deteriorated further late last month following a combative White House meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in front of reporters

While the Biden administration provided military aid and diplomatic support to Ukraine amid the war, Trump has argued that the country must accept some concessions to bring a quick end to the conflict, leaving him at odds with many European leaders.

What To Know

Kelly, a U.S. Navy pilot and NASA astronaut before entering politics, shared a long statement in support of Ukraine alongside images of himself during a recent visit to Kyiv in a series of posts to X on Sunday.

“Just left Ukraine,” the senator wrote. “What I saw proved to me we can’t give up on the Ukrainian people. Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin… Ukraine did not start this war … Government officials who can’t acknowledge factual information should reevaluate their career choices.”

Kelly continued: “The world will become a very cold and lonely place if we continue this ridiculous ‘screw you, go it alone’ foreign policy. It’s dumb and it won’t age well and puts you and your kids and your grandkids at risk. America is the strongest, richest country in the world. We didn’t get there by being bullies like Putin…”

Musk, who urged the U.S. to “really” leave the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the day that Kelly shared his statement, responded to the senator on Monday morning with the following remark: “You are a traitor.”

The Trump administration has been critical of NATO, with the president frequently questioning its value and pushing allies to increase their defense spending.

What People Are Saying

Senator Mark Kelly responding to Musk’s accusation in a post to X on Monday afternoon: “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.”

Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego, a U.S. Marines combat veteran who represents Arizona alongside Kelly, wrote in an X post: “Mark Kelly is American hero who served this country as a Navy combat pilot and an astronaut. Elon Musk is trying to fire 80,000 people from the VA [Veteran Affairs]. Only one of these guys is a traitor. Hint: it’s the one who’s never been to space.”

Scott Kelly, the senator’s twin and a fellow former Navy pilot and astronaut wrote on X: “Elon, I thought traitor meant you’ve switched sides and now are aligned with the enemy. That was you. Mark has been on Team America his whole life. Just sayin.'”

What Happens Next?

Musk and Kelly are likely to remain at odds on foreign policy and other political issues. Meanwhile, the future of the Russia-Ukraine war remains uncertain.