Mitch McConnell

02/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/24/2026 15:06

McConnell on Four-Year Anniversary of Russian Escalation in Ukraine

Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement on the four-year anniversary of Russian escalation in Ukraine:

Four years ago today, Vladimir Putin escalated Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine with a violent blitzkrieg designed to quickly subdue and subjugate a free and sovereign Ukraine. This plan failed, and his addled dream of swift neo-Soviet conquest has become instead a brutal and inconclusive war that has succeeded in tanking Russia's economy, expanding NATO, prompting America's allies to invest more urgently in defense, and trading more than a million casualties for a small fraction of Ukrainian territory.

In four years, Ukraine has forged defenses of hardened veterans, determined to defend their homes and families, and placed itself at the cutting edge of military technology and tactics. But while Ukraine's heroes hold the line, her civilians spend a fourth straight winter in darkness and cold, and thousands of her abducted children sit in Russian captivity.

Ending this war is a noble and urgent goal. But the price and nature of peace matters a great deal to Ukraine, America, and the West. Securing a just, stable, and enduring peace will require two things: that we accurately assign blame where it belongs (Russia) and that we speak the only language Putin seems to understand (strength).

Today, America's European allies continue to shoulder the greatest share of material assistance to Ukraine. But there remains no substitute for the American-made systems capable of forcibly changing Putin's calculus. Sustained support to Ukraine's defense is the best way to achieve and secure a peaceful outcome to this terrible war. If America is to lead the way to peace, then we ought to settle an open question while we're at it and clearly demonstrate the credibility of our commitments and our threats.

Mitch McConnell published this content on February 24, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 24, 2026 at 21:06 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]