Ron DeSantis Follows Trump and Bashes U.S. Support for Ukraine

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is breaking from some of his Republican allies, declaring the Ukraine war is not of “vital” national interest to the United States. DeSantis was among a number of potential 2024 presidential candidates—along with those who’ve already jumped in—to answer a questionnaire from Fox News host Tucker Carlson. “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 wrote in a response Carlson posted on his Twitter feed. The governor added that “peace should be the objective” and said of sending troops along with F-16s and long-range missiles: “Off the table.” While some Republicans support U.S. efforts to aid Ukraine, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, DeSantis’ comments echoed his former pal Donald Trump, who said in reply to same questionnaire: “No, but it is for Europe. But not for the United States. That is why Europe should be paying far more than we are, or equal.”