FIRST ON FOX – In an effort to urge other members of the Republican Party to unite behind Ukraine, former Vice President Mike Pence is responding to the GOP’s opposition to continued U.S. support for kyiv in its war against Russia.
The main reason Pence believes the GOP should support Ukraine is also the party’s main argument against continued support: China.
“China is openly aiding Russia in its invasion of Ukraine,” Pence said in a memo Tuesday in coordination with the conservative nonprofit Advancing American Freedoms. “Defeating Russia hampers China.”
Servicemen of the 24th Mechanized Brigade fire a 152 mm “Giatsint-S” self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near the town of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region of Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
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“Russian control over Ukraine would provide China with more oil and natural gas, further fueling its expansionist ambitions,” he added.
Pence also argued that a Russian victory would be a victory for China and would further strengthen both authoritarian regimes.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a secret trip on June 29, 2023. (Fox News)
Many Republicans in the upper chamber, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have unequivocally supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — some even traveling to Ukraine — while many House Republicans have opposed increased U.S. support over spending concerns.
The GOP’s division on the issue has not only delayed U.S. support for Ukraine and significantly impacted its war effort during the winter and spring months, but it could also spell trouble for the party as Americans head into elections in November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, speaks during his visit to the Zaporizhia region, the scene of heavy fighting with Russian troops in Ukraine, February 4, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
“The Biden-Harris administration has failed America domestically and internationally, so it’s no wonder there are skeptics about continued aid to Ukraine,” Mike Pence said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “But the fact is, America will be less safe if Ukraine falls.”
“A more powerful Russia will only embolden China to be more aggressive. Standing firm on lethal aid to Ukraine will help contain authoritarian regimes from Tehran to Beijing and, most importantly, 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 their talks in Beijing, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo via AP, file)
However, China is not the only concern expressed by some members of the GOP about continued support for Ukraine.
Concerns about US border security and the massive debt Washington faces have also been regularly cited as major issues, prompting some to choose not to support kyiv.
“Securing the border is a matter of will, not money,” Pence said, asserting that Putin had “weaponized refugees” in the past and could do so again if he was not stopped in Ukraine.
“While there is no doubt that the federal government faces an overspending problem, the deadly aid to Ukraine has been worth every penny spent,” he said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks during an event to promote his new book at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation on October 19, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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The memo emphasizes that the United States has used only 1.5 percent of its federal budget to defend Ukraine and “degrade” the country.[e] “The Russian army has gone from the second best in the world to the second best in Ukraine.”
“The cost of a Russian attack on a NATO ally, which we are obligated to defend under the treaty, would quickly exceed 1.5 percent of the federal budget,” he added. “It is in the United States’ interest for Ukraine to win the war.”
