WATCH: Sen. Kelly Joins CNN to Push for Continued U.S. Support for Ukraine

Today, Arizona Senator and Navy combat veteran Mark Kelly joined CNN to discuss Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington and the need for continued U.S. support for Ukraine as they fight back against Russia’s illegal invasion. Kelly, who has visited Ukraine twice this year and met with Ukrainian pilots training in Arizona, is a leading voice for Ukraine in the Senate. During the interview, Kelly highlighted how defeating Putin in Ukraine is critical to U.S. national security.  

Kelly urged Congress to quickly pass the administration’s supplemental funding request to support our allies in Ukraine and Israel and provide much-needed resources to address the crisis at Arizona’s southern border.  

Click here to watch a video of Kelly’s remarks. See key excerpts below:  

On Zelenskyy’s case to Senators today: 

He presented a compelling case. He talked about how they’re inflicting huge losses, they’ve made a lot of progress, they’ve got more work to do. We can’t ignore and abandon our ally here in this time of need. I mean, they need our support.  

The problem we’re seeing on Capitol Hill is what we usually see, and it’s frustrating. I mean, they are running out of ammunition, and we’ve got to provide that combat power back to replenish what they have. 

On the U.S. national security implications of letting Putin win: 

And you know who else is watching this? It’s the Chinese President, the leadership in Iran, the dictator in North Korea. They are watching what’s happening here, and if we fail, if we fail in this moment, I think history is not going to judge us well.   

On the urgency of passing supplemental funding for Ukraine, Israel, and the southern border: 

For this to be caught up in the politics of the border would be a mistake. There is a lot we agree upon. Resources for Border Patrol, CBP, rebuilding ports of entry. On policy, we need to continue to talk about it. There has been a proposal from the White House. We have to come to an agreement. For us to abandon Ukraine and Israel—and by the way, not be prepared in the Western Pacific—would be a colossal mistake for us.