Mitch McConnell Believes Next President Will Continue Ukraine Support

Senator Mitch McConnell on Thursday said he believes the United States will continue to support Ukraine in the war launched by Russia, "no matter who gets elected in the White House."

The Kentucky Republican made the comments during the 60th annual Kentucky State Fair Ham Breakfast at the Kentucky Exhibition Center in Louisville. The event, which started in 1964 to promote the state's agriculture industry, is known for attracting business leaders and politicians.

McConnell, the senate minority leader, spoke of shoring up the country's defenses when he addressed the fair's audience, saying deterrence of America's adversaries should be "front and center" for the next U.S. president.

"What is the big challenge ahead? You could argue it's a situation potentially more challenging than World War II," McConnell said, according to the Associated Press (AP). "You've got an axis of evil—North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iran's proxies—all talking to each other. What do they have in common? They're all authoritarian regimes. They hate democracy. And they're competing with all of the democratic countries around the world."

He added, "I'm convinced we can prevent the next war by doing a better job of being prepared for it."

Part of doing this will be strengthening ties with allies, according to the senator.

"No matter who wins the presidential race, and obviously I have a preference...this issue needs to be front and center," McConnell said. "And it isn't about charity. This is not charity. This is in our own interest because the democratic world needs a leader and there's nobody that substitutes for American leadership."

The AP reported that McConnell didn't mention former President Donald Trump or his rival in the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris, by name during his Thursday speech. However, McConnell has said he supports Trump, despite publicly feuding with the former president in recent years.

Following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots, McConnell slammed Trump, saying: "There's no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day."

He continued, "No question about it. The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president...the leader of the free world cannot spend weeks thundering that shadowy forces are stealing our country and then feign surprise when people believe him and do reckless things."

Meanwhile, Trump frequently criticized McConnell on his Truth Social media platform and in 2022 called him a "pawn for the Democrats to get whatever they want."

Despite the bad blood, McConnell endorsed Trump soon after former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley ended her campaign for the GOP nomination.

"It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States," McConnell said in a March statement. "It should come as no surprise that, as nominee, he will have my support."

As for who will be more favorable for Kyiv, Harris is widely expected to carry on the unwavering support for Ukraine set out by President Joe Biden should she win November's election. However, Trump may instead stick to his "America First" doctrine on foreign policy.

McConnell made it clear in his speech that he feels "the Russians must fail, because it is a lot bigger than the border between Ukraine and Russia."

"These are brave people fighting for their independence against one of our biggest adversaries in the world. Why in the world would we not want to help them? This is a big problem going forward," he said.

As for what will happen after November, McConnell told the AP in an interview after his speech that he thinks American citizens know the importance of supporting Ukraine.

"And I think we're going to continue to do that no matter who gets elected in the White House," he said.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.