Democratic Senator Kelly says operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast could shift course of the war

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly stated on Sunday, 18 August, that Ukraine's decision to counter Russia's invasion by striking within Russia itself could change the course of the war.

Source: Kelly speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation; Politico

Details: Kelly mentioned that "130,000 Russians have had to leave their homes and, at this point in this conflict, I think the Ukrainians did something unpredictable that could really change the tide of how this conflict’s gonna play out."

There were concerns at the time of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that if Ukraine and its allies extended the war onto Russian territory, it could trigger a regional or global conflict. However, the war had largely reached a stalemate until Ukrainian forces crossed into Russia's Kursk Oblast.

Answering the host’s question whether he was comfortable with US-provided weapons now being used on Russian soil, Kelly replied that he was.

Quote: "I am at this point. The Ukrainians were illegally attacked by Vladimir Putin. ... He is intentionally killing women, children, old people. It was an illegal invasion. This incursion, and I’ll just, let’s characterise it that way for now. I don’t think the Ukrainians want to intentionally hold Russian territory for a long period of time, but this really set Putin back on his heels."

More details: Kelly also added that it would be appropriate to continue assessing Ukraine's security needs.

Kelly further mentioned that Ukraine's offensive should teach the Russians that their leader, Vladimir Putin, is not the unparalleled protector he claims to be: "He has always tried to characterise himself as somebody that is going to protect Russia. I think his citizens are seeing the results of what he has done in Ukraine that now they are somewhat at risk".

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