Americans are being misled when they are told that supporting Ukraine is not beneficial to the United States of America, said Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican minority in the Senate.
“I think the American people are somewhat misled. I don’t think they understand the facts. Ukrainians are showing tremendous bravery and courage, and I think it’s inspiring to the rest of the world that chooses its leaders and doesn’t have autocrats imposed upon them,” McConnell said.
McConnell believes that the position of former President Donald Trump contributes to the decline of support for aid to Ukraine among US citizens. The Republican politician called it bad news. At the same time, the leadership of the Congress and the leaders of the committees of the armed forces, foreign relations and intelligence, and budget issues are in the camp of support for the Ukrainians, McConnell emphasized.
“There are some Americans who say it’s far from the Far East, and that’s where our real concerns lie. But the Japanese prime minister said that if you want to send a message to President Xi, beat Putin in Ukraine. South Koreans are worried, Filipinos are worried, Australians are worried. So this really has a huge impact on Asia and the future of Taiwan,” the Senate Republican leader said.
If Putin wins the war in Ukraine, the next in his plans will be a NATO country, the politician believes. Therefore, it is much more reasonable to stop this invasion, and the only ones who are ready to take a direct part in it are the Ukrainians themselves, McConnell said.
“We are standing here against China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. This already says that you are on the right side. Secondly, we are not losing any American military. Ukrainians are fighting themselves. In relation to our GDP, this is a really small share that we provide for these efforts in Ukraine,” the politician said.
When the US sends weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, it replaces many of its assets with more modern, advanced weapons. In addition, Washington should restore its industrial base even without the war in Ukraine due to increased competition from Russia and China, the Republican concluded.
Cover: Patrick Semansky/AP
