WASHINGTON – Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, fresh from a weekend visit to Ukraine, said the country’s chances of winning its war with Russia remain strong, but he is concerned about the impact of the U.S. war with Iran on weapons deliveries.
Ukraine has done a “fantastic job” with the resources at its disposal, he said. “Things in the last several months have started to trend their way. Hopefully it continues.”
The Democrat said he hopes Russia’s staggering casualty count will convince President Vladimir Putin to end the war, as high as 35,000 a month, according to The Economist.
“This is a time of year that the Russians usually double down on their invasion force, but lately they’ve been having a hard time replacing the people that are killed on the battlefields,” Kelly said.
His visit to Ukraine came amid a sharp escalation in Russian strikes. A barrage of drones and missiles killed 22 people in Kyiv on Tuesday, the day he spoke with reporters at the Capitol about his visit.
Kelly said roughly five drones were intercepted over Odesa while he and other U.S. lawmakers attended the Black Sea Security Forum.
This was Kelly’s fourth visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022. At the security forum, he spoke on advancements in defense technology, disinformation, and U.S. alliances. He also visited nearby Moldova, a poor former Soviet bloc nation that hopes to join the European Union.
Despite the positive outlook on Ukraine, Kelly warned that President Donald Trump’s resistance to aid has hampered efforts to fend off Russia. Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran three months ago left U.S. stockpiles depleted, further impacting Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the House rebuked Trump’s stance on Ukraine by approving roughly $1.8 billion in aid and $8 billion in loans, with a half-dozen Republicans breaking ranks and siding with Democrats. The measure also includes further economic sanctions.
Kelly also supports more U.S. support for Ukraine.
“This administration has done a poor job putting pressure on the Russian government and on Putin,” he said. “It’s often hard to understand our president’s relationship with Putin and his motivations.”
He called the war with Iran “a gift to the Russians” by cutting global oil supplies and creating a windfall for the Russian oil sector.
In addition, U.S. weapons shortages have diminished the amount of munitions America is willing to provide for Ukrainian defense.
“When you expend a lot in the Middle East, you’re going to be less comfortable delivering what Ukraine needs to defend itself,” Kelly said. “It’s just a math problem, it’s not hard.”
On May 26, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the White House and Congress for more Patriot missiles to protect Kyiv and other cities against Russian ballistic weapons.
But the U.S. now has a huge backlog of those interceptors. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated the U.S. has used 1,060 to 1,430 Patriots during the conflict with Iran, which could take three years to replenish.
Kelly said he sees more optimism in Ukraine than earlier this year, but the effort to beat back Russia requires more from the U.S.
“Maybe if they had everything they need right now,” he said.
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