Mitch McConnell breaks with Kevin McCarthy, pledges to send more aid to Ukraine if Republicans win the Senate

• McConnell on Friday urged the Biden administration to deliver more military support to Ukraine.
• His comments come after McCarthy expressed skepticism about sending more aid to Ukraine.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday urged the Biden administration to deliver more military aid to Ukraine against Russia's invasion and vowed to continue supporting the war-ravaged country should Republicans win the upper chamber in the midterm elections.

"The Biden Administration and our allies need to do more to supply the tools Ukraine needs to thwart Russian aggression," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement. "It is obvious this must include additional air defenses, long-range fires, and humanitarian and economic support to help this war-torn country endure the coming winter."

McConnell's push marks a new divide in Republican leadership over Ukraine assistance. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy earlier this week seemed hesitant to send billions of more dollars to the country, suggesting that domestic policy concerns, such as the economy and the border, should also be prioritized.

The US has approved roughly $60 billion in military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since Russia's war began in February, with McConnell becoming one of the strongest Republican advocates for that aid.

Military support to Ukraine has been approved on an "overwhelming bipartisan basis" and must be "expedited," McConnell said Friday, adding that a Republican Senate majority "will focus its oversight on ensuring timely delivery of needed weapons and greater allied assistance" to the country.

McCarthy, meanwhile, told Punchbowl News that additional money to Ukraine is "not a free blank check," representing a faction of the House Republican conference that's grown critical of the aid as the war has gone on.

President Joe Biden earlier on Friday said he remains committed to supporting Ukraine against Russia and brushed off concerns about the possibility of Republicans backing out.

"I don't understand the threat that they're saying they may have to stop funding the Ukrainians in their war against this brutal dictator," he told reporters.

A GOP split over Ukraine could take center-stage if Republicans retake the House and Senate in the midterm elections. In the meantime, the Biden administration could also push through a new Ukraine deal in the lame duck period before the new Congress begins in January.