McConnell urges Biden to expand lethal aid to Ukraine, raise U.S. force deployment

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) faces reporters following the Senate Republicans weekly policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell urged President Joe Biden on Wednesday to expand Ukraine's air defenses, bolster the presence of U.S. forces on NATO's eastern flank and visit eastern European countries.

Speaking less than two hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed Congress, the top Senate Republican said Biden should give Ukraine "more effective, longer-range air defense capabilities" including Soviet-legacy warplanes from neighboring NATO countries such as Poland.