Former President Donald Trump's drift toward isolationism created challenges for Republican leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who considers the war in Ukraine the "most important thing going on internationally."
McConnell said in an interview with Politico that there is no mystery as to why Republican rank-and-file lawmakers are unwilling to send money and supplies to Ukraine, a policy stance that has divided the GOP in the House and Senate — particularly between hard-line conservatives who want to see a sharp decrease in overseas spending and establishment Republicans who fear a win from Russia will aid other foreign adversaries, such as China.
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The top Senate Republican said Trump's messaging — threatening to pull the United States out of NATO, a relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his comments during his 2024 campaign — has pushed newly elected Republican senators, especially, to avoid Ukraine funding. Of the 11 Senate Republicans who opposed a Ukrainian aid bill last year, seven were first elected to the upper chamber in 2018 or later.
“That’s a reflection of the challenges at the base created by the former president’s reluctance to endorse this important mission,” McConnell said.
During and after Trump's presidency, McConnell made it his public and private mission to show the world that Republican support of Ukraine's war against Russia has not wavered. He urged Finland to join NATO and changed his biennial trip, usually to the Middle East, and brought freshman Senate Republicans to the Munich Security Conference. McConnell, as well as Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and possible successors Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and John Cornyn (R-TX), visited Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
McConnell's age and health are also factors in his quest for support for Ukraine. He recently froze during a press conference at the Capitol for about 20 seconds before staff escorted him away. At 81, he is the longest-serving Senate leader, and he is committing to making Ukraine a priority for congressional Republicans.
“This is the defining, final battle of his career, keeping the party away from this new flirtation with isolationism,” said Scott Jennings, adviser to McConnell.
McConnell's goal, it appears, is to solidify as much support as possible before the 2024 election, in which Trump is polling as the front-runner in the GOP primary to take back the White House from President Joe Biden possibly. If Trump wins, it will be a contest of power between the former president, McConnell, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is embattled by his fellow conservative members who are hard-liners on spending.
However, he brushed off the level of impact that Trump or Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who referred to the war in Ukraine as a "territorial dispute," could have on Republican support for the war, saying Ukraine has a strong base among the congressional GOP.
"No matter who’s in the White House, it’s not helpful if you have a president who’s not in favor of this, but in order to enact a policy, you have to deal with a lot of people,” he said. “And I do think that the congressional leaders on defense and foreign policy think that this is important.”
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McConnell has also pointed to funding from U.S. allies such as South Korea and Japan to Ukraine, saying that the nations view the Ukraine-Russia war as "very relevant to the Chinese threat in their neighborhood." He also has played on the strength of Ukraine battling against one of the world's superpowers.
"This is not just some altruistic project,” McConnell said about American support for the war, adding that the Ukrainians “are massively degrading the future offensive military capabilities of one of the greatest self-appointed foes of international peace and stability.”