McConnell putting 'main part of my focus' on opposing Russia in Ukraine: 'A worldwide problem for democracies'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a local radio interview Monday that he is putting "the main part of my focus in the coming years" on opposing Russia in Ukraine, noting that it is "a worldwide problem for democracies."

Though he will not seek a Senate leadership role again, McConnell told NewsRadio 840 WHAS host Terry Meiners that he would continue to serve in the Senate through his whole term and will continue fighting against the "isolationist movement" in his own party and others, adding that "a symbol of that lately is that, are we going to help Ukraine or not?"

"I think it's extremely important that we do that. I’m not particularly a fan of the Biden administration, particularly the decision to run out of Afghanistan, which is like sending Putin a green light, but we are where we are, and the Europeans have stepped up," McConnell said. "Most of the money that we are authorizing is being spent in this country, some of it in Kentucky, because we needed to rebuild our industrial base for what lies ahead with Russia, and now China as a national security problem. So I’ve got this sort of on my mind for the next couple of years."

McConnell said global democracy is in a precarious position, and not just as a result of terrorism experienced on 9/11 and beyond or the current Israel-Hamas war.

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"In addition to the terrorist threats, we have big power competition. The Russians have become like the old Soviet Union. The Chinese – who are tough commercial competitors – have now become national security problems as well. It’s time for the democratic world to be unified," McConnell said.

"This is a