Republicans slam DeSantis for calling Ukraine war a ‘territorial dispute’

“If you let Russia start coming in,” Sununu said, “and marching on Ukraine, you put all of Eastern Europe at risk. You are putting all of our NATO allies there at risk. And then, when a NATO ally is now in danger, you really risk having to send potential American troops into the field, which nobody wants to see and should not happen.

Sending $50 billion in aid to Ukraine, Sununu said, is “a deal” if it means not having to send troops to fight a war in Europe.

“There are voices in our party that do not see a vital American interest in Ukraine. But I see it differently,” former Vice President Mike Pence said on ABC’s “This Week.” Pence called DeSantis’ description of the territorial dispute war “false” and said the United States “should provide the tanks, missiles and planes that the Ukrainian military can use to fight the fight against the Russians. “.

“We have Russian aggression in motion, again, just like they did under [President Barack] Obama and Crimea, as they did under President [George W.] Bush in Georgia. And we must face this moment with American strength,” Pence said.

Taking a stand against Russia in Ukraine also sends a message to China, said Sen. Mike Rounds (RS.D.).

Although there is territory taken by Russia, “it’s bigger than that for us”. Chinese President Xi Jinping is watching, Rounds said, and if the US fails to help Ukraine, Xi could see it as a sign that China can take similar steps in Taiwan without facing US interference. .

“[Xi] wants to see how we will react and whether or not we can keep our allies together, whether or not. … NATO stays together or does it strengthen NATO or not. So it’s a bigger picture than just territory,” Rounds said.

The war in Ukraine has divided the Republican Party in recent months, with some viewing it from a Cold War perspective and others suggesting the conflict isn’t as important to Americans as other issues. With his statement last week, DeSantis joined Republicans such as Chairman Kevin McCarthy in the latter camp.

“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 the economic, cultural and military might of the Communist Party of China. – becoming more entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” he said in his statement to Fox News.