KENTUCKY — In the wake of Russia’s widespread invasion of Ukraine, Republicans and Democrats in Kentucky responded with a bipartisan chorus of condemnation of the attack, with many calling for a stronger U.S. response.

Ukraine’s leadership said at least 40 people had been killed as of Thursday morning, with dozens more injured. President Joe Biden condemned what he called an "unprovoked and unjustified attack" and said G7 leaders will move forward with a “devastating package of sanctions.” to hold Russia and Putin accountable. Follow Spectrum News 1’s live blog for the latest updates.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for the U.S. to “ratchet the sanctions all the way up” against Russia during a visit to Louisville Thursday morning.

“There’s no such thing as a ‘little invasion,’” McConnell said. “[Vladimir Putin is] an authoritarian. He yearns for empire and we need to do everything we can to stop it.”

Sen. Rand Paul, in a brief statement on Twitter, said the invasion will “further isolate Russia and lead to a pariah status not seen since the Cold War ended.”

Charles Booker, the Democrat running to unseat Paul in the 2022 midterms, tweeted out prayers and support for the people of Ukraine shortly after the invasion began.

Gov. Andy Beshear shared a video address on social media urging calm and unity among Kentuckians. While Kentuckians won’t have their boots on the ground in Ukraine, Beshear said the conflict’s economic impacts will be felt in Kentucky.

Congressman Andy Barr, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called Putin’s invasion a “gross violation of international law” that threatens the national security of the U.S.

“Putin’s brutal act of war represents a naked attempt to re-litigate the terms of the end of the Cold War,” Barr said in a statement.

James Comer, the Kentucky congressman and ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, condemned Putin’s “brazen, unprovoked” attacks against Ukraine.

“The United States and NATO should meet these attacks with swift action. We must issue the strongest possible sanctions and cripple Putin’s ability to wage war,” Comer said in a press release. “In the battle between freedom and tyranny, freedom must always win.”

Congressman John Yarmuth, Kentucky’s lone Democrat in the Congressional delegation, denounced Russia’s actions as “an undeniable and unprovoked act of war against an independent, sovereign nation.”

“The entire world must stand together in opposition to such evil,” Yarmuth wrote on Twitter.