McConnell Says Senate Republican Majority to Focus on Delivery of Weapons, Aid to Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Friday that should Republicans become the majority in the midterms elections in November, they will focus their attention on providing timely delivery of weapons and greater allied assistance to Ukraine.

"A Republican majority in the Senate will focus its oversight on ensuring timely delivery of needed weapons and greater allied assistance to Ukraine," McConnell said in a statement.

The Minority Leader also vowed that Republicans will concentrate their efforts on rebuilding and modernizing the US military, as well as on confronting terrorist states, including Iran, and shoring up defenses in Asia.

In addition, McConnell accused Russia of "weaponizing" energy resources and called unacceptable the Biden administration drawing oil from the United States' Strategic Petroleum Reserve to improve Democrats’ low approval ratings ahead of midterm elections.

"Draining the Reserve to the lowest point in decades and strangling our domestic energy production capacity will make America more vulnerable to disruptions and manipulations of global energy markets," McConnell said.

The Democrats are risking US national security to try to cover the loses of their own energy policies, he added.

President Joe Biden recently announced the sale of an additional 15 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, completing the release of 180 million barrels authorized by him in March. The releases created additional supply to refineries, bringing down fuel prices that at one point hit record high of over $5 per gallon.