A Democratic US senator who recently visited Ukraine said on Monday that the Trump administration’s suspension of intelligence-sharing had weakened Kyiv’s defences against Russia. He also dismissed Trump advisor Elon Musk’s accusation that he was a “traitor.”
“One hundred percent,” Senator Mark Kelly told reporters when asked if he had learned of specific attacks or incidents that could have been prevented if Ukrainians had received the withheld intelligence.
“If there’s stuff they don’t get, that they need, that changes their ability to defend against attacks,” Kelly said. “And those attacks happened on Friday night, on Saturday, when I was there.”
The Arizona senator, a member of the Armed Services Committee, declined to provide further details. He visited Ukraine from Saturday to Sunday to express support and assess the situation on the ground.
Since Thursday, Ukrainian officials have reported Russian attacks damaging the country’s energy and gas infrastructure, as well as missile and drone strikes that killed at least 14 people and wounded 37. Russian forces launched additional air strikes on Kyiv overnight Monday, authorities said.
Last week, the Trump administration announced it was halting intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, increasing pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s push for peace talks with Russia.
The intelligence freeze followed the suspension of US military aid to Kyiv, which was decided after a White House meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance—who opposed aid to Ukraine during his Senate tenure—publicly clashed with Zelensky.
Zelensky was in Saudi Arabia on Monday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a day before scheduled discussions between Ukrainian and US officials that Washington hopes will make significant progress toward ending Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Support for Kyiv, once a bipartisan priority, has become increasingly divided since Trump’s second term began on January 20. While Democratic backing for Ukraine remains strong, Republican support has weakened. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, recently stated there was “no appetite” for another aid package.
Highlighting the political divide, Musk called Kelly a “traitor” on X, the social media platform he owns, after Kelly criticised Trump’s actions in Ukraine and accused him of weakening the country’s defences ahead of peace talks.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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