FIRST ON FOX – In a bid to urge fellow members of the Republican Party to unite behind Ukraine, former Vice President Mike Pence is hitting back on the GOP’s opposition to continued U.S. support for Kyiv in its war against Russia.
The number one reason Pence argues the GOP should back Ukraine is also the party’s chief argument against continued support – China.
“China is openly assisting Russia in its invasion of Ukraine,” Pence said in a Tuesday memo in coordination with the conservative nonprofit, Advancing American Freedoms. “Defeating Russia hamstrings China.
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“Russian control over Ukraine would provide China with more oil and natural gas, further fueling China’s expansionist ambitions,” he added.
Pence also argued that a win for Russia would be a win for China and further empower both authoritarian regimes.
Many Republicans in the Upper Chamber, like Sen. Lindsey Graham and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have unequivocally backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – some even making the trip to Ukraine, while many Republicans in the House have opposed more U.S. support over concerns related to spending.
GOP division on the matter not only held up 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 to the pulls this November.
“The Biden-Harris administration has failed America at home and abroad, so it is small wonder there are skeptics of continuing aid to Ukraine,” Pence said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “But the simple fact is America will be less secure if Ukraine falls.
“A more powerful Russia will only encourage China to be more aggressive. Standing firm in providing lethal aid to Ukraine will restrain authoritarian regimes from Tehran to Beijing, and, most importantly, will protect and secure our great nation,” he added.
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However, China is not the only concern some in the GOP have floated when it comes to continued Ukrainian support.
Concerns over U.S. border security and the massive debt Washington faces have also been routinely cited as major issues, prompting some to opt out of supporting Kyiv.
“Securing the border is primarily an issue of willpower, not a $$$ problem,” Pence said, claiming that Putin in the past has “weaponized refugees” and he could do it again if he isn’t stopped in Ukraine.
“While there’s no question that the federal government has a massive overspending problem, lethal aid to Ukraine has been worth every penny,” he said.
The memo pointed out that the U.S. has used just 1.5 % of its federal budget to defend Ukraine and to “degrad[e] the Russian military from the second best in the world to the second best in Ukraine.”
“The cost of a Russian attack on a NATO ally, who we are treaty-bound to defend, would quickly exceed 1.5% of the federal budget,” he added. “It is in America’s best interests for Ukraine to win the war.”
