Former Vice President Mike Pence Wednesday blasted Ron DeSantis over his criticism of the war in Ukraine.
After the Florida governor downplayed the war as a “territorial dispute” with Russia, Pence chided DeSantis for spouting Kremlin talking points.
“The war going on in Ukraine right now is not a territorial dispute. It is a result of an unprovoked war of aggression by Russia,” Pence told a New Hampshire news show.
Pence invoked the name of former President Ronald Reagan to insist that the U.S. must stand by Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
“I truly do believe that we are the arsenal of democracy, and we are the leader of the free world and continuing to stand with Ukraine to support their fight,” he said. “They are consistent with the conservative principals first articulated by Ronald Reagan.”
The former vice president noted that he has met Putin and believes the strongman would not stop at Kyiv if he succeeds in gobbling up Ukraine.
“Anybody who thinks that Vladimir Putin will stop in Ukraine if he takes that country, I think has another think coming,” Pence added.
The broadside from Pence comes after DeSantis shocked many Republicans with his new Putin-friendly stance on Ukraine.
The Florida governor said defending Ukraine is not in the U.S. national interest and called it a “distraction” from more pressing priorities.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called DeSantis naive while Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, accused him of skipping American leadership in favor of “poll-tested answers.”
Ironically, DeSantis’ position puts him closely in line with the stance taken by former President Donald Trump, who praised Putin as a “genius” and has vowed to cut off all aid to Ukraine. But GOP leaders have not taken aim at Trump, who remains the party’s most popular and powerful leader.
Pence, who is considering a White House run in 2024, and GOP contender Nikki Haley have both sided with Ukraine while Trump and DeSantis have not shown support for Ukraine.
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