Ukraine invites DeSantis to visit after he called Russia invasion a ... trends now
Ukraine invited Ron DeSantis to visit the war-torn nation after the Florida governor dismissed the conflict with Russia as a 'territorial dispute' and demanded federal government focus-in on domestic issues instead.
The potential 2024 presidential candidate's remarks come at a time with Republicans in Congress are demanding more scrutiny for the $113 billion in aid sent to Kyiv last year.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said Ukraine should not get a 'blank check' from the U.S.
Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko criticized DeSantis's comments made during an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson and tweeted his invitation to the Republican governor.
Ukraine invited Ron DeSantis to visit after the Florida governor called the war with Russia a 'territorial dispute'
Ukraine foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko levied an invite on Twitter so DeSantis could 'get a deeper understanding' of the threat the war 'poses to U.S. interests'
'We are sure that as a former military officer deployed to a combat zone, Governor Ron DeSantis knows the difference between a 'dispute' and war,' Nikolenko said in a Tuesday evening tweet.
'We invite him to visit Ukraine to get a deeper understanding of Russia's full-scale invasion and the threats it poses to U.S. interests.'
DeSantis said that Ukraine's war with Russia is not a 'vital national security interest' for the U.S.
While studying law at Harvard, DeSantis was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to its legal arm, the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps.
His Navy service included working with detainees held in Guantanamo Bay and as a legal adviser for elite Navy Seals deployed to Iraq.
The Florida governor's position on American assistance to Ukraine distinguishes him from several high-profile Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said it (aid to Ukraine) should be the 'number one priority' for the U.S. in December.
Former Vice President Mike Pence recently poked at the Florida governor and said there was no room for 'Putin apologists' in the GOP. 'We support those who fight our enemies on their shores, so we will not have to fight them ourselves.'
'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 said.
The Florida governor continued: '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.'
He added that the growing threat from China and the crisis at the southern border should take priority.
His positions were revealed on a day when details emerged of the Pentagon's $842 million budget request, amid a push to refill supplies after arming Ukraine and reinforcing NATO's eastern flank.
The stark language drew notice from Carlson, the top-rated cable host, during his broadcast. 'Until tonight, no one could really say with precision, where [DeSantis] stood on the war in Ukraine, which is arguably the most important topic in the world. And now we know DeSantis is adamantly opposed to the position that most Republicans in Washington have taken on Ukraine. DeSantis is not a neocon. Who knew?'
Tucker Carlson asked several presumed White House contenders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis what he thought about the massive U.S. aid sent to Ukraine in its war with Russia
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.
It has been over a year since Russia launched its brutal invasion, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues calling for the U.S. and allies to provide more long-range weapons and ammunition, describing Ukraine's war as protecting all of Europe from Russian aggression.
DeSantis, a former House member who served in the Navy Reserve as a military lawyer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, came out explicitly against two of Zelensky's requests.
Nikolenko said DeSantis should 'know the difference between a dispute and war' as a former officer with the U.S. Navy
'The U.S. should not provide assistance that could require the deployment of American troops or enable Ukraine to
