US needs to reconsider weapons restrictions, Senator Mark Kelly says
The White House's restrictions on Kyiv's ability to strike inside Russia with American weapons are increasingly being called on to be eased and lifted.
U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona and former finalist to be Kamala Harris's running mate, spoke with the Kyiv Independent and is the latest to say the limitations need to be reconsidered.
"Based on the conditions near the front and the territory (Ukraine is) currently slowly losing, I think it's appropriate to reevaluate this and consider allowing (Ukraine) to use our weapons deeper into Russia," Senator Kelly told the Kyiv Independent.
"To go after military targets, whether it's supply lines, supply depots, military bases, it's something we need to reconsider. We should always be reevaluating and reconsidering what our role is."
Senator Kelly, a former Navy pilot who serves on the Committee on Armed Services, expects a potential Harris administration to mostly continue President Joe Biden's Ukraine policies.
"I know the vice president very well, and you know what her position is on this in supporting Ukraine," Senator Kelly told the Kyiv Independent. "I think you'll see a very similar approach, probably not identical."
If Democratic nominee Harris is elected, Ukraine's battlefield will continue to be evaluated for opportunities to make necessary changes, Senator Kelly said.
"On one hand, we've got to be careful about escalation, and we do not want U.S. troops to be engaged with the Russians," Senator Kelly said, adding that "it's not a good outcome, we need to try to avoid that. At the same time, Ukraine needs to be able to win."
Senator Kelly, who is on the Select Committee on Intelligence, does not know if Ukraine has seen the full extent of Russia's response to the Aug. 6 incursion into Kursk Oblast. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not easily predictable, Senator Kelly said.
"It's been a challenge for him to deal with this incursion into Kursk, I think he's getting to experience some of what the Ukrainians have experienced."
Senator Kelly, who has long supported Ukraine and is increasingly in the public eye after being a finalist for Kamala Harris's running mate, hasn't always held this view. Just last month at the Democratic National Convention, Kelly was one of few speakers to raise the topic of Ukraine at the podium, but he didn't call for the lifting of restrictions when pushed by CBS News on the convention's sidelines.
"It's appropriate to continue to look at what (Ukraine's) needs are, how can we make adjustments, what new weapons systems are we going to provide to them?" Kelly told CBS News at the time.
Between his careful change in message, Senator Kelly made what he recalled as an important trip to the Baltics, where the U.S. has troops stationed as a deterrent against Russia. The death toll from Russia's strike on Poltava also rose to over 50 this week and strikes on Ukrainian youth educational facilities continued, which the Senator mentioned as particularly frustrating.
When Congress returns to Washington from a monthslong recess next week, Kelly will better understand the depth of bipartisan support for easing restrictions.
Asked by Stephen Colbert on late night television Thursday night - the question increasingly being discussed regarding Kelly - whether he would serve in a Harris administration, Kelly emphasized the importance of public service, saying he's doing all he can to get Harris elected in November.
