Ron DeSantis denounces U.S. aid to Ukraine, downplays Russian invasion as a ‘territorial dispute’

Ron DeSantis has denounced U.S. aid to Ukraine and downplayed the brutal Russian invasion of its neighbor as a “territorial dispute.”

The Florida governor took his clearest stance against defending Ukraine in a statement provided to right wing Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who regularly rails against the war.

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests … becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis said in the statement.

DeSantis blasted President Biden’s policy of military aid to Ukraine to repel the invasion launched by Russian strongman Vladimir Putin as “intervention.”

“We cannot prioritize intervention in an escalating foreign war over the defense of our own homeland,” DeSantis said, repeating GOP talking points about the southern border.

The statement drew instant blow black from supporters of Ukraine including fellow Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who appeared to mock DeSantis for his lack of geopolitical chops.

“Obviously, he doesn’t deal with foreign policy every day as governor,” Rubio said Tuesday.

“It’s not a territorial dispute … any more than it would be a territorial dispute if the United States decided that it wants to take over Canada or take over the Bahamas,” he added.

Nikki Fried, the Florida Democratic chair and ex-state agricultural commissioner, was considerably more blunt in attacking DeSantis.

“Being Putin’s b—h should disqualify anyone from becoming president of the United States,” Fried tweeted along with a Ukrainian flag emoji.

The expected Republican presidential candidate had not previously spoken in detail about the war in Ukraine.

He refused to sell Florida’s investments in Russian companies although he also mocked France for supposedly not having the guts to stand up to Russia.

The statement puts him in line with the the MAGA wing of the GOP and former President Donald Trump, who hailed Putin as a “genius” for launching the ill-fated attack on his neighbor.

Trump says he would have prevented Putin from invading and could stop the war in a day, without elaborating.

The statement represents a flip-flop for DeSantis, who had previously been a traditional foreign policy hawk. As a congressman, he bitterly denounced President Barack Obama for failing to provide military assistance to Ukraine when Russia seized the Crimea.

DeSantis is seemingly laying the groundwork for a GOP primary fight against Trump by staking out a series of far right-wing positions, especially on domestic issues like abortion, guns and diversity.

Most other Republican presidential candidates and potential candidates, like ex-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence, have sided strongly with Ukraine, although they have found ways to criticize Biden’s policies at the same time.