Rubio rejects DeSantis’s claim that war in Ukraine is mere ‘territorial dispute’
Cami Mondeaux
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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) rejected comments by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) dismissing the Russian invasion of Ukraine as just a “territorial dispute.”
“It’s not a territorial dispute … any more than … if the United States decided that it wanted to invade Canada or take over the Bahamas,” Rubio told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday. “Just because someone claims something doesn’t mean it belongs to them. This is an invasion.”
DESANTIS HIGHLIGHTS GOP RIFT OVER AIDING UKRAINE: NOT A ‘VITAL’ INTEREST
The remarks by DeSantis came in response to a questionnaire by Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sought to compare top contenders for the GOP presidential nomination on several topics.
“While the U.S. has many vital national interests, securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness with 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,” Florida’s governor said this week in a statement.
DeSantis also said the United States should not provide additional military assistance to Ukraine that would allow the war-torn country to fight battles outside of its borders.
The answer aligns DeSantis with former President Donald Trump, who has frequently suggested the Russian invasion is Europe’s problem to resolve. In response to the same questions by Carlson, Trump agreed that opposing Russia was not a “vital American national strategic interest” and said it was time for the two countries to negotiate a deal.
The stance posed by DeSantis and Trump puts the pair at odds with several other members of their party, especially top Republican leaders who have maintained a sovereign Ukraine benefits the U.S.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) underscored that sentiment in remarks to the Munich Security Conference last month, telling attendees that party leaders “overwhelmingly support a strong, involved America and a robust trans-Atlantic alliance.”
“Don’t look at Twitter. Look at people in power,” he said. “Look at me and Speaker Kevin McCarthy.”