Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a new statement that Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia is not a “vital national security interest” of the United States, in comments where he called the war of “territorial dispute”.
The Republican presidential candidate made the statement in response to a series of questions from Fox News host Tucker Carlson at a time when Republicans in Congress have demanded closer scrutiny of billions in US aid and the Chairman Kevin McCarthy said he shouldn’t get a ‘white check.’
His stance, which Carlson read on air Monday night with some astonishment, sets him apart from former Vice President Mike Pence, who in his own comments said there was no room for “Putin apologists” within the Republican Party and claimed that “we support those who fight our enemies on their shores, so that we don’t have to fight them ourselves.
DeSantis wrote, “While the United States has many vital national interests – securing our borders, resolving the readiness crisis within our military, ensuring energy security and independence, and controlling economic, cultural and military power of the Chinese Communist Party – increasingly embroiled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says becoming ‘further embroiled in a territorial dispute’ between Russia and Ukraine is not part of the US’ ‘vital national interests’
DeSantis continued, “The Biden administration’s “virtual “blank” funding of this conflict for “as long as it takes,” without defined goals or accountability, distracts from our country’s most pressing challenges. “
His positions were revealed a day when details emerged of the Pentagon’s $842 million budget request, amid a push to refuel after arming Ukraine and bolstering NATO’s eastern flank. .
They put him at odds with top Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who rallied the United States to the effort to arm Ukraine.
raw language caught Carlson’s attention, the highest-rated cable host, on his show. “Until tonight, no one could really say precisely, where [DeSantis] stood on the war in Ukraine, which is arguably the most important topic in the world. And now we know that DeSantis is adamantly opposed to the position that most Republicans in Washington have taken on Ukraine. DeSantis is not a neocon. Who knew?’
The statement comes as the Republican presidential field continues to take shape, with former President Donald Trump continuing to be the poll leader – Carlson called him the frontrunner.
DeSantis has spoken out against supplying F-16s and longer-range missiles to Ukraine, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleads for more and better weapons
Carlson also read a statement from Trump, who said he would negotiate an end to the war. It comes after host in internal emails leaked in Dominion lawsuit said he ‘despises’ Trump
The debate over support comes as Ukraine struggles to try to retain control of Bakhmut, which is nearly surrounded by Russian forces. Here, Ukrainian soldiers fire an artillery gun aimed at Russian positions near the Bakhmut frontline in Chasiv Yar
It has now been more than a year since Russia launched its brutal invasion, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to call on the United States and its allies to provide more long-range weapons and ammunition, describing the war of Ukraine as protecting all of Europe from Russian aggression.
DeSantis, a former House member who served in the Naval Reserve as a military attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s body, spoke out explicitly against two of Zelenksy’s demands.
“The United States should not provide assistance that might require the deployment of American troops or allow Ukraine to engage in offensive operations beyond its borders. F-16s and long-range missiles should therefore be ruled out,” he told Carlson. “These steps would risk explicitly dragging the United States into the conflict and bringing us one step closer to a hot war between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. This risk is unacceptable.
Carlson also read Trump’s responses – a week after internal emails were released in a Dominion lawsuit against Fox – had him call Trump a ‘demonic force’ and wrote: ‘I hate him passionately “.
DeSantis’ stance brings him closer to Trump on Ukraine skepticism. The former president has long called the country “corrupt” and has repeatedly touted his ability to “get along” with Russia.
In his own statement, Trump says Russia would not have invaded under his watch, points to the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan executed under Biden after his administration set a deadline with the Taliban, and says allies Europeans should pay the United States “retroactively” for the difference between what the United States and Europe spend to help Ukraine.
He then says that he will negotiate for peace. The US would tell Ukraine that there will be little more money from us UNLESS RUSSIA CONTINUES TO PURSUE THE WAR. The president must meet with each party, then both parties together, and come to an agreement quickly. This can easily be done if led by the right president. Both sides are tired and ready to make a deal. Meetings should start immediately, there is no time to waste. The death and destruction MUST STOP NOW!’ Trump wrote.
A Pew poll in late January found a drop in Republican support for the war.
He revealed that 40% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents believe the United States is providing too much support, up from 32% in the fall. The number was only 9% last March, immediately after the Russian invasion.
