Mitch McConnell on Ukraine: Ratchet up Russia sanctions; Putin "yearns for empire"

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday recommended the U.S. government immediately "ratchet the sanctions all the way up" against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

"Don't hold any back. ... There's no such thing as a 'little invasion,'" he said. "(Russian President) Vladimir Putin is a bad guy. He's an authoritarian. He yearns for empire, and we need to do everything we can to stop it."

McConnell also said military aid should be provided to ensure the people of Ukraine are fully armed if they're willing to fight, although he would not recommend putting American troops on the ground there and does not expect that to happen.

McConnell was in Louisville Thursday morning with White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta. They visited the Volunteers of America Mid-States' Louisville Freedom House to discuss America's persistent opioid crisis.

Russia invaded Ukraine Thursday morning, leaving dozens injured and at least 40 dead.

More: Kentucky politicians react to 'undeniable and unprovoked act of war' in Ukraine

When asked if sanctions are enough under the circumstances, McConnell said “we honestly don’t know.”

“But certainly tepid sanctions are not going to get the job done,” he said, adding that “significant economic harm” must be imposed on Russia.

He said President Joe Biden “wisely” sent additional U.S. troops to NATO-aligned countries like Poland and the Baltic states that are situated near Ukraine (which isn’t a member of NATO).

“We want to make sure that Putin doesn’t think he can cross the line into NATO,” he said.

McConnell repeatedly has criticized Biden for completely pulling American troops out of Afghanistan – a withdrawal process former President Donald Trump also participated in – after 20 years of war in that country, and the longtime Kentucky senator did so again Thursday.

“I think the precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August (2021) was a signal to Putin, and maybe to Chinese President Xi (Jinping) as well, that America was in retreat. That America could not be depended upon. And was an invitation to the autocrats in the world that maybe this was a good time to make a move,” he said.

“Looking at Vladimir Putin … he said that when the Cold War ended, the breakup of the old Soviet Union was the worst geopolitical mistake of the previous century, so we know how he feels about trying to reestablish empire. A combination of perception of weakness and a yearning for empire is what led to the war in Ukraine,” McConnell went on. “We are where we are. … We’re all together at this point, and we need to be together about what should be done.”

When asked if an insufficiently strong American and international response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could embolden China to make a move on Taiwan, which the Chinese government claims is part of its territory, McConnell said: "Well, I think President Xi (Jinping) is watching this. You know, he covets Taiwan, obviously."

McConnell's wife, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, was born in Taiwan and later moved to the U.S. with her family.

Biden also has condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine, saying Putin "has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering."

He announced new steps Thursday afternoon, saying G-7 leaders agreed to limit Russia's ability to do business in dollars, euros, pounds and yen. The U.S. also will block four more major banks in addition to the sanctions imposed on Russia's VTB bank and the country's military bank.

He also said there will be NATO talks about how to "further strengthen all aspects" of that alliance.

Biden, who said he has "no plans" to talk to Putin, added the U.S. is prepared to respond and is working closely with the private sector to "harden their cyber defenses" and "sharpen our ability to respond to Russian cyberattacks as well."

Related: Biden, G-7 leaders to meet; NATO chief calls Russian attack 'brutal act of war': live updates

Other world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, condemned Russia's invasion too.

Gov. Andy Beshear said in a video statement Thursday morning that Kentuckians could be "called upon to endure" increased gas prices as a result of the attack, calling it a "small price to pay to stop this act of aggression."

'Heartbreaking' opioid losses

McConnell was at Freedom House Thursday with Jennifer Hancock, the president and CEO of Volunteers of American, and Gupta, the director of White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, to discuss the opioid crisis.

“This horrendous addiction problem was here before the pandemic (and) got worse during the pandemic,” McConnell said.

During 2020, there were 49% more fatal drug overdose in Kentucky than in 2019, The Courier Journal previously reported.

That same year, Kentucky had the second-highest increase in fatal overdoses in the country, behind Vermont.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines three distinguished waves of opioid deaths in the United States — starting with prescription opioid fatal overdoses in the 1990s, then the 2010 rise of heroin-related fatal overdoses, and finally the rise of deaths from synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

More: Historic settlement brings hope in Kentucky's fight against the opioid epidemic

More: How pandemic isolation sent drug overdose deaths soaring in Kentucky

“We're losing Americans at the rate of 100,000 people every 12 months,” said Gupta. “That means an American is perishing every five minutes around the clock.

“That's not acceptable to us. It's heartbreaking. Behind every number is a parent, a grandparent, an uncle and aunt, a son and a daughter.”

Gupta said he is looking at all options for tackling the crisis, from supply to treatment to intervention.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) are a “very important piece” of this, Gupta said. Kentucky ranks high for ACEs, which could be anything from abuse and neglect to witnessing violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It also includes children who watch someone in their home deal with mental health issues, addiction or incarceration. The CDC says ACEs can result in substance abuse later in life, among other things.

More: Kentucky ranks high for childhood trauma. A coalition is uniting to do something about it

“We will be looking at various policies that look at ACEs, trauma informed communities, and the work that we can do across our communities in areas to improve the lives of not only adults but also children.”

Preventing ACEs, and the subsequent fallout from them, he said, “means (a) more productive, more informed and more effective society to begin with.”

More: Drugs kill more Americans than guns and cars. Kentucky was ground zero from the start

USA Today contributed. Reach health reporter Sarah Ladd at sladd@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ladd_sarah.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Mitch McConnell on Ukraine: Ratchet Russia sanctions "all the way up"