Mark Kelly replies to Musk ‘traitor’ taunt over Ukraine visit: ‘not a serious guy’

Elon Musk is “not a serious guy”, said Mark Kelly, the US fighter pilot and astronaut turned Arizona Democratic senator, after the Tesla owner and close Donald Trump ally called him a “traitor” for visiting Ukraine in support of its fight against Russia’s invading troops.

On Sunday, Kelly posted to social media photos of his visit and a lengthy statement.

“Just left Ukraine,” he said. “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 [Vladimir] Putin,” referring to the Russian president who ordered his military to invade Ukraine in February 2022.

Musk, who owns X, on which Kelly posted, responded: “You are a traitor.”

Kelly said: “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.”

In Washington on Monday, Kelly was asked about Musk’s charge.

“Obviously, he’s not a serious guy,” Kelly said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the latter has received substantial aid from the US and Europe. Kelly’s recent visit was his third. It came amid international consternation over Trump’s abandonment of Kyiv and courting of Moscow.

The president and aides have said they want peace but have taken controversial steps, including starting talks without Ukraine; hectoring the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a tempestuous White House meeting; suspending military aid and intelligence sharing.

On Monday, Kelly shared further thoughts.

“I just got back from 36 hours in Ukraine,” he wrote. “Wanted to share a story from while we were there. At a hospital, we talked with a wounded Ukrainian soldier. I asked him what he thought about the change in US policy. His response in English was, ‘What the fuck.’”

In Washington, Kelly was asked if he had heard in Ukraine of attacks or incidents that would have been affected if Ukrainians had had access to US intelligence.

“One hundred per cent,” Kelly said. “If there’s stuff they don’t get, that they need, that changes their ability to defend against attacks. And those attacks happened on Friday night, on Saturday, when I was there.”

Peace talks are due to resume in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, this time with Zelenskyy attending.

On Monday night, Kelly spoke to MSNBC.

“When I was 22 years old,” he said, “as I was getting sworn in to the United States navy, I swore an oath to protect and defend the constitution. I have believed that oath my entire life. I flew in combat in the first Gulf war. I served in the United States navy for 25 years. I spent 15 years at Nasa, risking my life flying the space shuttle.”

Referring to Musk’s oversight of sweeping cuts to federal budgets and staffing, he added: “The only oath I can think of that maybe Elon has sworn is an oath to his own checking account, to his pocket book, an oath maybe to ruining the lives of veterans.

“I had veterans in my office last week who, after really good performance reports, found out that Elon Musk fired them for poor performance. He was ruining these people’s lives … they did not deserve to get fired by an email from an unelected billionaire.”

The Vermont independent senator Bernie Sanders was among those to rebuke Musk for his attack on Kelly, telling CNN: “It is really unspeakable. It really is. I think the American people are sick and tired of the wealthiest guy in the world running the United States government and calling, in this case, a guy who put his life on the line to defend us, a traitor. That’s beyond the pale.”