McConnell is doing everything he can to nuke his legacy. And this may be the nail in the coffin.
Now Mitch McConnell betrayed Republicans with a terrible accusation.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the former Senate Republican leader, took the stage Thursday evening to accept the Star of Ukraine award from the US-Ukraine Foundation.
In his speech, the 83-year-old didn’t hold back, warning that President Trump’s pursuit of peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin risks landing the U.S. on the losing end of a headline: “Russia wins, America loses.”
McConnell pointed fingers at Trump’s team, suggesting they’re not stepping up with the grit and resources needed to keep America’s foes in check.
He didn’t mince words about the administration’s handling of the three-year war in Ukraine, either. “It shreds America’s credibility, leaves Ukraine under threat, weakens our alliances and emboldens our enemies,” he said.
Turning to the human toll, he painted a vivid picture. “Peace is a noble goal. And few deserve it more than the people of Ukraine, who feel the absence of peace most viscerally … When they stand in the rubble of their homes, their schools, and their churches,” he said.
“And when they say goodbye to children or parents bound for the front, some never to return.” He added, “If there’s anyone who I’ll take at their word when they say they want peace, it’s the people who had peace stolen from them.”
The Kentuckian tied Ukraine’s struggle to its history, noting, “The nation whose unique identity has led Kremlin totalitarians — time and time again — to starve, subjugate, and try to destroy it.” It’s a fight he’s long championed, and this award nods to his solidarity with Kyiv.
Flash back to February 28, when Trump, 78, and Vice President J.D. Vance, 40, clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Zelensky had jabbed at Vance’s diplomatic stance on Russia, prompting Trump to snap, “You’re gambling with World War III.” The fallout? A scrapped economic deal for U.S. investment in Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals, a pause on critical intelligence sharing, and a halt to military aid.
Enter Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy who’s jetted to Moscow twice to hash out a cease-fire with Putin—both times coming up empty. McConnell didn’t name names but took a swing at the approach.
“When American officials court the favor of an adversary at the expense of allies … when they mock our friends to impress an enemy … they reveal their embarrassing naivete,” he said.
He didn’t stop there. “To cut off Ukraine is to stab ourselves in the back. So is the denigration of allies who have fought and died alongside us,” he warned.
“The Americans should be dangerous allies. The kind so dangerous that enemies of democracy, sovereignty, and free commerce wouldn’t dare to doubt our commitments or our resolve.”
The US-Ukraine Foundation praised McConnell as a congressional rock for Ukraine. With his Senate term winding down in January 2027, he’s hinted at “unfinished business” and kept his focus on bolstering Kyiv and America’s global muscle.
Last month, he said, “Every debate over agriculture or infrastructure or education or taxes is downstream of the obligations of national security. Every question of policy here at home is contingent on our duty to provide for the common defense.”
Reflecting on his four decades in the Senate, he credited Ronald Reagan for kickstarting America’s military might. “But since then, we’ve allowed that power to atrophy,” he said. “And today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it.”
McConnell’s not fully on Team Trump—he voted against confirming Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, DNI Tulsi Gabbard, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., though they still got the nod from most GOP colleagues. Still, he closed with a nod to the road ahead: “We’ve got a long road ahead. But I’m proud to share it with all of you.”
