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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News Host Tucker Carlson that aiding Ukraine is not a “vital” interest for the United States, a position that is similar to that of former President Donald Trump.
“While the U.S. has many vital national interests – securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural, and military power of the Chinese Communist Party – becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis wrote in response to a Fox News questionnaire, which Carlson shared on Twitter Monday.
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Fox News asked all potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates questions about the war in Ukraine, according to Carlson. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the only prominent Republican besides Trump to announce her presidential bid so far, were among the ones who didn’t reply.
“The Biden administration’s virtual “blank check” funding of this conflict for “as long as it takes,” without any defined objectives or accountability, distracts from our country’s most pressing challenges,” DeSantis continued.
DeSantis added that while “peace should be the objective,” he opposed sending F-16s and long-range missiles, saying the U.S. shouldn’t provide aid that could prompt the involvement of U.S. troops or allow Ukraine to initiate an offensive beyond its borders.
Trump shared similar sentiments as DeSantis in his response to Carlson, stating that opposing Russia’swar in Ukraine is not a vital interest for the U.S., though it is for Europe. Trump also suggested that the Biden administration was responsible for Russia’s invasion.
“Russia would have never attacked Ukraine if I were President, not even a small chance. Would have never happened if I were President, but it has,” Trump added. “But with everything said, Europe must pay. The United States has spent much more than Europe, and that is not fair, just, or equitable.”
DeSantis is considered to be Trump’s top challenger for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination despite having not yet announced his campaign.
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DeSantis and Trump’s opposition to supporting Ukraine is a significant break from their party as most GOP lawmakers, including party leaders, have continued to support military aid to the Ukrainian government.
GOP leader Mitch McConnell referred to U.S. assistance as a “direct investment” for the country’s own national interest in a “secure and stable Europe” in a February statement.
“Our security and prosperity are deeply intertwined with a secure and stable Europe,” McConnell added. “If Putin were given a green light to destabilize Europe, invading and killing at will, the long-term cost to the United States in both dollars and security risks would be astronomically higher than the miniscule fraction of our GDP that we have invested in Ukraine’s defense thus far.”
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