Divide on Ukraine support emerges in early 2024 GOP field
COLUMBIA, S.C. >> Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are emerging as leading rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. But when it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they are united in arguing that stopping the aggression isn’t a vital U.S. strategic interest.
Similar stances
Trump and DeSantis were among the declared and potential GOP presidential candidates surveyed about the war by Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The answers from the group of Republicans revealed a divergence of opinions and underscored how the U.S. response to the war in Ukraine is becoming a litmus test in the early phase of the Republican presidential primary.
But the responses from Trump and DeSantis were particularly notable, both because of their stature in the party and the similarities of their positions. They contended that American involvement had only drawn Russia closer to other adversarial states like China and condemned the tens of billions of dollars that the United States has provided in aid for Ukraine.
“We cannot prioritize intervention in an escalating foreign war over the defense of our own homeland,” wrote DeSantis, who hasn’t yet announced a 2024 campaign.
“Europe isn’t helping itself. They are relying on the United States to largely do it for them. That is very unfair to us,” Trump said, calling on European countries to share more of the financial burden of defending Ukraine.
While the U.S. has provided the majority of the aid, European countries have made substantial contributions, with several giving Ukraine far more than the U.S. in terms of a percentage of their gross domestic product.
Establishment
Former Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, reflecting an establishment GOP view of the conflict, stressed the importance of a Ukrainian victory over Russia. They cautioned that Russian President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t stop his aggression with Ukraine and warned that NATO countries were at risk.
“We support those who fight our enemies on their shores, so we will not have to fight them ourselves,” wrote Pence, who is considering a 2024 bid. Echoing a line he has used since the beginning of the war, Pence said, “There is no room for Putin apologists in the Republican Party” — a veiled criticism of Trump, who has called Putin “smart.”