Mitch McConnell Grills Pete Hegseth About Russia-Ukraine: ‘Who Do You Want to Win?’

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) didn’t waste time on formalities during a tense Senate Appropriations hearing Tuesday, zeroing in on the Trump administration’s stance on the Russia and putting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the spot.

The interrogation comes as the Trump administration’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war appears to have undergone a marked shift, moving from threats of sanctions and bold promises of rapid peace to a posture of disengagement and transactional diplomacy.

Despite campaign pledges to resolve the conflict “within 24 hours,” Trump has increasingly signaled a desire to extricate the U.S. from any central role in the peace process in a pivot that has frustrated allies.

After a phone call in late May between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which Trump reportedly told President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and European leaders that the U.S. would no longer participate in new sanctions efforts against Russia, a sharp contrast to earlier rhetoric suggesting only he and Putin could broker a ceasefire. Relations between Trump and Zelensky have also been publicly strained since their Oval Office meeting earlier this year reportedly turned heated.

During Wednesday’s hearing, McConnell, long a hawkish voice on foreign policy, betrayed establishment Republican discomfort on Ukraine policy and grilled Hegseth to get a clear view of the administration’s position, outright asking Hegseth outright who he wanted to win the war.

MCCONNELL: It probably won’t surprise you, but I’m going to start with Ukraine. And I’m gonna ask you a series of questions but I don’t want you to linger on any one of them but answer the series of questions in one answer. Number one, who’s the aggressor and who’s the victim in the conflict?

HEGSETH: Russia’s the aggressor.

MCCONNELL: Which side do you want to win?

HEGSETH: As we’ve said time and time again, this president is committed to peace in that conflict. Ultimately, peace serves our national interests, and we think the interests of both parties, even if that outcome will not be preferable to many in this room and many in our country.

MCCONNELL: Which side is President Xi pulling for?

HEGSETH: Well, as was stated by both of you, we obviously understand, unfortunately, under this administration and the policy, excuse me, under the previous administration and the policies they pursued, it has driven Russia and China closer together. So there’s no doubt that China would prefer that Vladimir Putin have a good outcome, but it would also prefer a prolonged conflict that would keep us and other countries tied down and incapable of paying attention to the malign influence of China elsewhere.

MCCONNELL: One thing I’m sure we agree on is we don’t want a headline at the end of this conflict that says Russia wins and America loses. And given the fact that all of our adversaries are communicating with each other, that’s extremely important if we’re going to continue to play the role in the world that the vast majority of members of congress think we should still play – particularly now their adversaries are more significant than they have been since the Berlin Wall came down.

Watch above via ABC News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet Newsletter
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!