Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s comments about US support for Ukraine during its war with Russia are rattling the Republican cage.
DeSantis’ remarks came amid growing speculation that he could run for the 2024 White House election, as Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson responded to a series of questions posed to 2024 Republican candidates or hopefuls. It was issued in response. two countries.
“The United States has many important national interests, but being further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis told Carlson.
Noting that “peace” should be the purpose of war, the popular Sunshine Governor said the United States would “provide assistance that may require the deployment of U.S. forces or prevent Ukraine from crossing the border.” It should not be allowed to engage in offensive operations by force,” he said. The F-16 and long-range missiles would be “out of consideration.” He also said that America’s “citizens have a right to know how billions of American taxpayers’ dollars are being spent in Ukraine”, calling the regime change policy “a foreign policy intervention in Washington, D.C.” popular among ideologists,” and the successor to Russian leader Vladimir Putin “could be even more ruthless.”
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Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week that he did not believe it was in the “substantial” interest of the United States to be “further entangled in a territorial dispute” between Ukraine and Russia. (Kathryn Gamble/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Although he has not officially declared that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination next year, DeSantis’ comments highlight a handful of Republicans who have consistently expressed support for Ukraine working to fend off Russian aggression. Immediately scrutinized from – including former Wyoming Congressman Liz Cheney, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, Texas Senator John Cornyn, North Carolina Senator , Tom Tillis.
Cheney, a former member of the Jan. 6 selection committee and an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, said DeSantis was “wrong and seems to have forgotten the lessons of Ronald Reagan.” rice field.
“This is not a ‘territorial dispute,'” Cheney said in a statement, according to The New York Times. reduce safety
“Weakness is provocative, and American officials who advocate this kind of weakness are Putin’s greatest weapon. It will likely cause conflict,” added Cheney, who lost his bid for re-election last year, to pro-Trump Republican Rep. Harriet Hegeman.
Rubio, who has represented Florida in the Senate since 2011, appeared on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, denouncing DeSantis’ remarks and suggesting that Republican governors are unfamiliar with handling foreign policy.
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Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham targeted DeSantis for his remarks about the US role in the war between Russia and Ukraine. (Stephanie Reynolds/Getty Images)
Rubio said, “I don’t know what he’s trying to do or what he’s aiming for. “Obviously, as governor, he doesn’t deal with foreign policy every day. So I don’t know…. I mean, it can’t be compared to what he’s done or said in the last few years. He doesn’t deal with it every day. But I’ll tell you, my take on the whole problem Regarding, I think there are nuances, because foreign policy is about nuances.
Graham was also unhappy with DeSantis’ remarks, telling The Times that he “cannot disagree any further” with the governor’s characterization of the effects of the war between Ukraine and Russia.
“Neville Chamberlain’s approach to attack never ends well,” Graham said, drawing comparisons between DeSantis and the British prime minister who worked to appease Adolf Hitler during his tenure. Putin’s attempt to rewrite the map.”
Similarly, Konin told Politico that he was “embarrassed” by DeSantis’ remarks, arguing that “it is important that we continue to support Ukrainians for our own safety.”
“It bothers me. I think he’s a smart guy. I’d love to know more about that, but I think he’s going to take Tucker Carlson’s line to be competitive in the primary.” I hope you feel like you don’t have to,” Konin said. He said. “For our own safety, it is important for us to continue to support the Ukrainians.”
Tillis also told Politico, as Konin did, that he disagreed with DeSantis’ comments.
“No, I disagree,” he said. “I think we have to look more closely than just the conflict in Ukraine. There is a humanitarian crisis. War crimes are being committed.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin (future publication by Ukrinform/Getty Images)
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The U.S. leads all nations in total military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine from Jan. 24 to Nov. 20, 2022, reaching $196 billion, according to Ukrainian government figures for February. increase. same period.
A poll by Associated Press, Pew Research and Fox News earlier this month showed growing skepticism about the massive aid package the Biden administration has provided to Ukraine. American support for such aid has fallen from 60% in May 2022 to just 48% today, according to the AP.
Meanwhile, according to Pew, the share of Americans who believe the United States has already given Ukraine too much has risen from just 7% in March 2022 to 26% today.
Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Anders Hagstrom, and Lawrence Richard of Fox News contributed to this article.
