First on FOX – In an effort to urge friends from the Republican Party to unite behind Ukraine, former Vice President Mike Pence hit back at the GOP opposition to continue US support for Kyiv in the war against Russia.
The number one reason Pence said the GOP should return to Ukraine is also the party chief’s argument against continued support – China.
“China openly aided Russia in its invasion of Ukraine,” a memo released by Pence’s conservative nonprofit, Advancing American Freedoms, said Tuesday. “Defeating Russia hamstrings China.
Soldiers of the 24th Mechanized Brigade fire a 152mm “Giatsint-S” self-propelled howitzer at a Russian position near the town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, Tuesday, August 20, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
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“Russia’s control of Ukraine will provide China with more oil and natural gas, further fueling China’s expansionist ambitions,” he said.
Pence also said that a win for Russia would be a win for China and further strengthen the authoritarian regime.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a secret trip June 29, 2023. (Fox News)
Many Republicans in the Upper House, like Sen. Lindsey Graham and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have strongly supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – some even made trips to Ukraine, while many Republicans in the House have opposed more US support over spending concerns. .
The GOP’s division on the matter will not only undermine U.S. support for Ukraine and undermine the war effort over the winter and spring, but could also spell trouble for the party when America heads to the polls this November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, speaks during a visit to the Zaporizhzhia region, the site of fierce fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine, on February 4, 2024. (Press Office of the President of Ukraine via AP)
“The Biden-Harris administration has failed America at home and abroad, so it’s no surprise that there are skeptics about aid to Ukraine,” Pence said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “But the simple fact is that America will be less safe if Ukraine falls.
“A stronger Russia will only encourage China to become more aggressive. Remaining steadfast in providing help that could affect Ukraine will prevent authoritarian regimes from Teheran to Beijing, and most importantly, will protect and secure our great nation,” he added.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin look at each other as they shake hands before talks in Beijing, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
However, China is not the only concern some in the GOP have floated when it comes to continued Ukrainian support.
Concerns about US border security and the huge debt that Washington faces are also often cited as major issues, prompting some not to vote in support of Kyiv.
“Securing the border is primarily a matter of will, not a matter of $$$,” the AAF said in the memo, noting that Putin has in the past “exploited refugees” and he may do so again if he doesn’t stop. Ukraine.
“While there is no question that the federal government has a huge overspending problem, its aid to Ukraine has been worth every penny,” he said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks during an event promoting his new book at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank on October 19, 2022 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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The memo states that the U.S. spends only 1.5% of the federal budget on defending Ukraine and “degrade(s) the Russian military from second best in the world to second best in Ukraine.”
“The cost of a Russian attack on a NATO ally, which we will defend by treaty, will quickly exceed 1.5% of the federal budget,” the AAF added. “It is in America’s best interest for Ukraine to win the war.”
