McConnell Rebukes Pentagon Chief Over Ukraine Policy
(MENAFN) In an uncommon display of internal GOP disagreement on foreign affairs, seasoned Republican Senator Mitch McConnell publicly rebuked U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday over the Trump administration’s strategy for resolving the Russia-Ukraine war.
“It seems to me pretty obvious that America's reputation is on the line,” McConnell declared during the opening of a Senate budget hearing. A former Senate majority leader, McConnell currently chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee.
“We don't want a headline at the end of this conflict that says Russia wins and America loses,” McConnell told Hegseth in a direct exchange.
Pressed by McConnell to name the aggressor in the war, Hegseth responded, “Russia is the aggressor.”
However, when asked to clarify which side he hoped would prevail, Hegseth avoided a direct answer. Instead, he emphasized the Trump administration’s emphasis on prioritizing national interests.
“Vladimir Putin knows that President Trump is strong,” Hegseth said. “He knows his word means something, and as a result, a negotiated peace in Ukraine makes America look strong, makes us look like we understand the state of the world.”
McConnell countered that America's allies were concerned the administration’s actions could be interpreted as enabling Moscow to dictate the outcome of the war.
U.S. allies are “wondering whether we're in the middle of brokering what appears to be allowing the Russians to define victory,” McConnell said. “I think victory is defined by the people who have to live there -- the Ukrainians.”
During the hearing, another prominent Republican, Senator Lindsey Graham—despite his support for Trump—also pressed Hegseth on the administration’s handling of the conflict.
McConnell, notably, was one of just three Republican senators who voted against Hegseth’s confirmation back in January.
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