Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) criticized the Biden administration for “dragging its heels” on helping Ukraine, ahead of a planned address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Congress on Wednesday.
“Even when they do the right thing, they do it too late,” Mr. McConnell said at his weekly news conference on Tuesday. “And the administration needs to get the message: We need to help the Ukrainians in every conceivable way. And we need to do it right now. Not only us, but our NATO allies, who seem to be way more anxious to help the Ukrainians than this administration.”
Mr. McConnell said Mr. Zelensky “already knows that the U.S. is not going to engage directly in Ukraine” and won’t impose a no-fly zone.
“But there are a lot of weapons that are extremely effective in controlling the air,” he said. “A good example of that are the MIGs that the Poles were anxious to send to Ukraine, which the administration apparently discouraged them from doing.”
The Pentagon last week rejected an offer from Poland to transfer planes to the U.S. that could then be sent to Ukraine.
The U.S. has sent troops, air-defense systems and other equipment to Poland and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization states on the eastern flank to bolster their defenses. Mr. Biden stressed on Monday the steps the U.S. is taking to provide Ukraine with security assistance, and he recently approved an additional $200 million, bringing the total the U.S. has authorized this year to $1.2 billion. President Biden recently signed into law an omnibus spending bill that included $13.6 billion for Ukraine.
A reporter asked Mr. McConnell whether he would support sanctions against China if China helps Russia evade Western sanctions or sends military hardware to Russia. “Look, I think we’re open to apply any pressure we possibly can not only on Russia, but those who tried to help Russia,” Mr. McConnell said.
Read More: Biden Signs Spending Bill to Send $13.6 Billion in Aid, Zelensky Prepares for Congress