Mark Kelly rebukes DeSantis on Ukraine, says it is ‘unfortunate that they made this political’
Ryan King
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Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) denounced Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s (R-FL) characterization of the bloody war in Ukraine as a “territorial dispute,” voicing his astonishment at the potential 2024 contender.
“I was shocked. I think it’s stunning for the Florida governor who’s running for president to say this. I mean, what is he saying it for — to get votes,” Kelly said on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. “What happened to Ronald Reagan’s peace through strength?”
CHRIS CHRISTIE RIPS DESANTIS’S UKRAINE TAKE: ‘HOPELESSLY NAIVE OR HOPELESSLY CYNICAL’
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DeSantis has not formally declared his 2024 candidacy but is widely speculated to do so within the coming months and has consistently polled as the top Republican after former President Donald Trump. Last week, DeSantis created a firestorm when Fox News host Tucker Carlson surveyed 2024 aspirants about their views on Ukraine.
“While the U.S. has many vital national interests — securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness with our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural, and military power of the Chinese Communist Party — becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis told Carlson.
His remarks drew bipartisan blowback, including from Republicans. Senate Republican Whip John John Thune (SD), as well as Sens. Lindsey Graham (SC) and Marco Rubio (FL), have publicly diverged from DeSantis on Ukraine.
Kelly, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, conveyed his view that the plight of war-torn Ukraine half a world away can reverberate back home.
“We need to show Vladimir Putin that it’s unacceptable for him to invade a neighbor. This is in our national security interests for him to lose,” Kelly argued. “If he’s able to take Ukraine and win a war in Ukraine, who’s going to be next? It’s going to be one of our NATO allies. And then we’re going to be putting U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, in harm’s way.”
Republicans have split on aid for Ukraine, with some, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), voicing skepticism for prolonged aid. A recent Gallup poll, however, indicated that a majority of Republicans view Russia’s military power as a “critical threat to the U.S.” Kelly revealed that a majority of his Senate colleagues back Ukraine.
“I think it’s unfortunate that they made this political, and it’s about an election,” Kelly said. “Let me just say in the United States Senate, the Republicans in the Senate and Democrats, we’re pretty much on the same page on this.”
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On Friday, The International Criminal Court announced that it levied an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged responsibility in the kidnapping of children in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quickly shrugged off the move and the ICC, which Russia doesn’t recognize.
“Putin is a war criminal, committing crimes against humanity. Intentionally targeting and killing women and children,” Kelly added to host Jake Tapper. “We haven’t seen this in our lifetimes, Jake. And we can’t allow them to be successful.”