McConnell Commends Trump for Restarting Ukraine Support
Senator Mitch McConnell on Monday welcomed President Donald Trump’s decision to resume U.S. military aid to Ukraine after a temporary pause, while sharply criticizing Pentagon officials whom he accused of undermining American commitments abroad.
The Kentucky Republican, who has often clashed with the administration on defense policy, described the Pentagon’s restrictions on aid and military spending as damaging to U.S. credibility with allies.
“Today, the strategic incoherence of underfunding our military and restricting lethal assistance to partners like Ukraine is measured in the avoidable erosion of American credibility with allies and the mounting deaths of innocents,” McConnell said in a statement.
Trump Announces More Defensive Weapons for Ukraine
President Trump told reporters that shipments of military aid to Kyiv would resume but did not specify what additional support would include.
“They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now. … We have to send more weapons, defensive weapons, primarily,” Trump said Monday.
Criticism of Pentagon Advisers
McConnell avoided directly criticizing Trump, noting that the president delivered weapons to Ukraine during his first term. However, he urged Trump to reject advice from aides pushing to scale back U.S. involvement in Ukraine.
McConnell also argued that supplying defensive weapons alone is not enough and called for sidelining Pentagon officials who cite munitions shortages as a reason to block aid, while failing to expand production.
He pointed to “self-indulgent policymaking of restrainers — from Ukraine to AUKUS —” that he said had forced the president to intervene repeatedly to reverse decisions by his staff.
Pentagon Pause and AUKUS Concerns
The Pentagon’s pause in some weapons shipments was first reported by Politico, citing concerns from defense policy chief Elbridge Colby about declining U.S. stockpiles. McConnell was the sole Republican to oppose Colby’s confirmation, criticizing his focus on Asia over other conflicts like Ukraine.
McConnell also alluded to Colby’s review of the AUKUS submarine pact between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, which caught some lawmakers and officials by surprise.
Other Republican Responses
House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers of Alabama also backed Trump’s decision to resume military aid, saying it would help push Russian President Vladimir Putin toward negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
“President Trump is right that now is not the time to pause U.S. military aid to support Ukraine’s defense,” Rogers stated.
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