Former U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell sharply criticized President Donald Trump over his policy toward Russia and attempts to reach an agreement with Vladimir Putin. In the senator's view, concessions to the Kremlin and restrictions on aid to Ukraine will not end the war but will only strengthen Moscow's position. He wrote this in a column for The Wall Street Journal, reports UNN.
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McConnell was outraged by Trump's words that Russia allegedly "is behaving quite normally toward Ukraine." The U.S. president made the statement in response to remarks about Moscow's violations of the announced energy truce.
The Republican called these words "factually incorrect, strategically naive, and morally untenable." He stressed that easing sanctions would only encourage Putin to commit further aggression.
McConnell warned of the danger of concessions to the Kremlin
The senator said that threats to halt military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine could allow Russia to achieve new gains on the front.
This will not weaken Ukraine's will to defend itself, but it could allow Putin to make progress on the battlefield that had previously been out of reach
McConnell separately criticized Trump's agreement with Putin on supplying hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel fuel to the United States. According to him, such a deal is unlikely to significantly lower prices at American gas stations.
The politician also stressed that a Russian victory would create far more serious threats to the U.S. economy and national security than temporarily high fuel prices.
McConnell recalled Russia's cyberattacks on U.S. institutions, its support for Iran, and Putin's cooperation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In his view, the strengthening of Russian influence in Europe would directly harm Washington's interests.