GOP leader on aid to Ukraine: degrading major adversary without committing American lives

Increased military aid to Ukraine to ensure Russia's defeat in the war is needed, US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said at a meeting devoted to national security issues, Voice of America reports.

Two years of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine led to the fact that the latter suffered "terrible" losses and war crimes committed by the aggressor.

"Since well before Russian troops made their first run toward Kyiv in February 2022, I’ve been pushing for the decisive capabilities Ukraine needed to defend itsel," McConnell said.

He urged the White House to invest more in US military power and said that supporting Ukraine "was never about virtue."

"This is about cold, hard, American interests. It is in the United States’ direct interest for authoritarians not to feel free to redraw maps by force. It’s in our interest to help degrade the military of a major adversary without committing American lives to the effort," the senator stated.

McConnell noted that speeding up the defeat of Russia will help the United States not face simultaneous aggression in Europe and Asia, probably referring to China.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden expressed hope that the Senate next week will conclude an agreement on border security, which provides for further assistance to Ukraine.

On January 12, the representative of the White House, John Kirby, said that the United States had stopped military aid to Ukraine, so Congress should approve a new package to support Kyiv.

US President Joe Biden said that the inaction of Congress endangers the security of the US and NATO, and also called for an urgent resolution of the border and approval of aid to Ukraine.

Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said that US lawmakers are opposing Vladimir Putin , but "the status quo [in Ukraine] cannot be maintained."