Sharply criticized

McConnell warns of "embarrassing naivete" in Trump administration’s dealings with Putin

From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju

Former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell sharply criticized the Trump administration’s Ukraine policy and pivot toward isolationism Thursday night, accusing President Donald Trump’s advisers of showing “their embarrassing naivete” in dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

McConnell, a staunch supporter of Ukraine who delivered remarks while being awarded the US-Ukraine Foundation’s highest honor, warned “some of the president’s advisers” are urging Trump to pull back from supporting the war-torn nation, and argued such a move would be a sign of “weakness.”

“This war is a reminder that what happens in one region has implications in another. That weakness in the face of one adversary would invite aggression from another even closer to home,” McConnell said. “Allies half a world away in Asia have told us the same — that Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression matters to those who live in China’s shadow,” he added.

The pointed remarks from McConnell come as Trump has spoken with Putin twice since taking office — breaking a sustained period of silence between the White House and the Kremlin — and follow the US president and vice president admonishing Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in a fiery Oval Office meeting late last month.