Mitch McConnell’s Ukraine policy puts him 'on a collision course' with House Speaker Johnson: report

Many MAGA Republicans have been vehemently critical of the Biden Administration's Ukraine policy, claiming that military aide to Ukraine has come at the expense of security along the U.S./Mexico border. Other Republicans have called for Biden officials to focus on Israel rather than Ukraine.

Democrats have countered that one doesn't automatically rule out the other — that the U.S. can aid Ukraine and Israel militarily and still have ample security along its southern border.

One Republican who favors military aide to Ukraine is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). In an article published on October 30, Politico's Burgess Everett describes the conflict between McConnell and MAGA Republicans who oppose helping Ukraine during its conflict with Russia and President Vladimir Putin.

"McConnell is at odds with new Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, who wants to split off Israel aid from Ukraine funding rather than pass a sweeping national security package," Everett reports. "And the Senate GOP leader faces brewing discontent within his own conference, which is buzzing over whether to stick with McConnell or side with conservatives who want a strategy change on Ukraine."

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

Everett continues, "McConnell's public and private lobbying efforts to greenlight tens of billions of dollars in Ukraine assistance is a sharp deviation from his usual more reserved, consensus-building approach. He's going to significant lengths to win over reluctant GOP senators and is on a collision course with the new speaker."

A Republican senator, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told Politico, "I don't think there's much appetite" for the security package McConnell has in mind."

However, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-South Dakota) favors military aid to Ukraine, although with less spending than McConnell.

Thune told Politico, "He came through the Cold War era and is a profound believer that this is a moment in history that the United States needs to assert leadership — and that if we don't, there are going to be some pretty grave consequences…. We have a number of our members who are not for Ukraine funding. I think there's a big majority that understands what's at stake here."

READ MORE: The week Kevin McCarthy caved to Republican Party Putinists

Read Politico's full report at this link.