WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2022) US Senate Republicans are worried about how China will assess what they see as a belated and ineffectual response by President Joe Biden to the alleged Russian threat to Ukraine, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Tuesday.
"We are worried about how the Chinese read our reaction to the Russian potential incursion into Ukraine," McConnell told a Capitol Hill press conference after his regular weekly launch with Republican senators.
McConnell also said he was in favor of supplying Ukraine with more lethal weapons before any incursion occurred in order to potentially inflict "real damage" on the Russian Army in the event of an invasion and imposing damaging banking system financial sanctions on Russia as well.
"My view remains that sanctions after the incursion will be less effective than sanctions before we discussed that at length at lunch. ... Before the invasion occurs, send the Ukrainians weapons they can fight with: Give them the chance to inflict some real damage on the Russians if they come in," McConnell said.
The sanctions that could really bring Russia to its knees were proposed financial ones related to the banking system, McConnell said. It was also important to beef up NATO's presence in Ukraine and let the Ukrainians and US NATO allies know the United States strongly supported them, he added.
