This was in response to comments made by a small group of House Republicans who had criticized the United States’ support.
McConnell was interviewed by Face the Nation about remarks made by GOP Reps Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia) and Madison Cawthorn (North Carolina), who said they opposed the U.S. aiding Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Cawthorn was film calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President, a “thug”, and declaring that the Ukrainian government is “incredibly corrupted” and “incredibly wicked.” Greene said on Facebook that the U.S. shouldn’t be sending weapons or assistance to Ukraine in a conflict “they can’t win”.
McConnell said that “Face the Nation” had heard from some “lonely voices” in the area, but did not name Cawthorn and Greene. The vast majority of Republicans across the country and in Congress are behind the Ukrainians. They urge the president to move faster and be bolder. Some voices may be isolated. They are not worth my time.
Although Cawthorn, Greene are considered outliers among congressional Republicans despite the fact that their comments received a muted response by House Republican leaders, Kevin McCarthy , House Minority Leader, said Cawthorn was wrong. It’s Russian President Vladimir Putin who is the “thug” but he supports the North Carolina congressman in his reelection bid.
Many Republicans still urge President Biden to increase U.S. support of Ukraine. An Omnibus government spending bill that included $13.6 Billion in humanitarian and security aid for Ukraine and Eastern European countries was passed by both chambers with bipartisan support.
McConnell stated that he would have introduced the Ukraine supplemental funding to the floor if he was the majority leader and predicted that “virtually all of my members would’ve supported it.” Thirty-one Republican senators opposed the aid spending package.
The $13.6 billion Congress approved was not the only amount that the U.S. has provided to Ukraine. More than $2 billion of military aid to Ukraine had been given by the U.S. since the beginning of the Biden administration. McConnell stated that Ukraine should be given more if they need it.
The Kentucky Republican stated that this was a way to create a no fly zone, and to have these weapons systems and ground-to-air weapon systems. This will give them a fighting chance of controlling the air and to shoot down other planes.
McConnell stated that Mr. Biden had “generally done right but not soon enough” in Ukraine and encouraged the president to “step it up.”
He stated that the Ukrainians had killed more Russians in just three weeks than in Afghanistan and Iraq over 20 years. “I believe we should go into this believing that the Ukrainians can win, and for us to quickly get these defensive weapon systems to them.
The U.S. provided over 600 Stinger antiaircraft missiles and approximately 2,600 Javelin antitank missiles to Ukraine. They also supplied shotguns, machine guns, ammunition, and other security assistance. Last week, Mr. Biden announced an additional $800,000,000 in security aid to Ukraine. This includes 800 anti-aircraft and drone systems, 20 million rounds ammunition, and 9,000 anti–armor systems.
Zelenskyy, however, made an emotional appeal to Congress last week to have the U.S. create a no fly zone over Ukraine’s skies. This request is opposed by Mr. Biden since it would require the U.S. military to engage directly with Russia.
Many members of Congress don’t support the imposition of a no fly zone over Ukraine. However, split with Biden’s administration after it rejected a proposal from Poland to transfer MiG fighter aircrafts to Ukraine.
McConnell stated that he was “perplexed” by the U.S.’ inability to help the Polish warplanes enter Ukraine.
He said that the Ukrainians have many pilots who are proficient in flying them. “They have Soviet ground to air systems that the Ukrainians can use in those Eastern bloc countries. The president has the resources to get these weapons there as quickly as possible.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a struggle for the last 25 days. They have not succeeded in capturing Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Their advance to other major cities has been largely stopped. Despite Russia’s relentless attacks, the civilian death toll in Ukraine continues to climb.
Officials from Ukraine have claimed that Russia has attacked a Mariupol art school, where 400 people were sheltering. This is the second attack on a public building in which civilians had been sheltering for less than a week. Russian forces attacked a Mariupol theater where more than 1,300 people were thought to have been present last week.
The United Nations’ Human Rights Office estimates Saturday that almost 900 civilians were killed in Ukraine, and nearly 1,400 others have been injured. However, the death toll could be much higher.
