Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday that it's his responsibility to steer the Republican Party's response against Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Driving the news: "I think we have a moral obligation. We have a strategic obligation. It is in our best interest to be helping the Ukrainians and I think they're an inspiration to all of us," McConnell said during an exclusive interview with Axios national political correspondent Jonathan Swan.
- McConnell also said Thursday that it's his job to "lead public opinion in different directions."
- "I expect that most Americans wouldn't have been able to find Ukraine on a map two months ago. This is a development that they're now watching. They're watching these atrocities," McConnell said.
Go deeper: Watch: Sen. Mitch McConnell to be interviewed by Jonathan Swan
