Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has entered the fray on the most hot-button foreign policy issue of the day with his statement on the war in Ukraine.[0] In response to questions from Fox News host Tucker Carlson, DeSantis made a pointed repudiation of Washington’s consensus, saying that protecting Ukraine is not a “vital” national interest for the U.S. His position aligns DeSantis with former President Donald Trump at a time when the two appear to be on a collision course for the Republican nomination in 2024.[1]
[0] Governor DeSantis is opposed to providing Ukraine with offensive weapons, rather than defensive ones.[0] Sending Ukraine F-16 jets is something he is against.[0] He declared that it would be wrong to “put the United States in danger of getting involved in the conflict and possibly escalating it into a full-scale war between the two biggest nuclear powers in the world.”[0] He opposes the idea of promoting a change in leadership in Russia.[0] He refuses to give Ukraine an “unlimited” amount of aid.[0]
Daniel Larison, a foreign policy writer, has noted that all of these views are reasonable and already held by Joe Biden.[0] However, DeSantis’s position marks a turn from his stance as a member of Congress, where he was a vocal advocate for sending Kyiv weapons to combat Russia’s aggression at the time.[2]
DeSantis’s potential 2024 rivals pounced on his remarks as well.[3] Former President Trump told reporters that DeSantis was “following what I am saying. It is a flip-flop. He was totally different. Whatever I want, he wants,” while Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said: “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. We invite him to visit Ukraine to get a deeper understanding of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the threats it poses to US interests.”[4]
0. “Ron DeSantis’ statement on Ukraine shows he’s Russia-friendly” MSNBC, 15 Mar. 2023, https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/ron-desantis-ukraine-russia-rcna74884
1. “Once a darling of defense hawks, Ron DeSantis retreats” Yahoo Life, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/once-darling-defense-hawks-ron-130040402.html
2. “Where the 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls stand on Ukraine” The Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2023/03/17/republicans-2024-presidential-ukraine/
3. “Harris slams DeSantis over Ukraine remarks, suggests he lacks experience” Fox News, 17 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/harris-slams-desantis-ukraine-remarks-suggests-lacks-experience
4. “DeSantis’s Ukraine Stance Could Blow Up His 2024 Strategy” New York Magazine, 16 Mar. 2023, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/03/desantiss-ukraine-stance-could-blow-up-his-2024-strategy.html
