Former Vice President Mike Pence has placed the blame on President Biden for Republican misgivings about aid to war-torn Ukraine.
“I believe skepticism about Ukraine’s support is more a mirrored image of distrust of Joe Biden as commander in chief than another problem,” Pence said. he told Meet the Press on Sunday.
Pence was a staunch supporter of Ukraine, at the same time as a growing chorus in his party publicly questioned the worth tag, which bumped into the tens of billions of dollars.
A handful of House Republicans and even a few of his peers in the 2024 arena, reminiscent of millionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, have he suggested helping Ukraine is just not an urgent national security interest.
Pence disagrees.
“Ronald Reagan coined what became generally known as the Reagan Doctrine in 1985, and if you ought to fight the communists in your country, we’ll offer you the tools to fight them so we do not have to fight them here,” Pence added.
“It’s in our national interest to drive the Russian military out of Ukraine,” Pence said. “Joe Biden talks in regards to the glittering goals of democracy. NO. Look, if Russia takes over Ukraine. I predict it won’t be long before the Russian army crosses the border where our men and girls in uniform can have to go and fight as they cross over to a NATO ally.”
Pence further knocked Biden out for slow help. Thus far, Congress has approved funding for over $100 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, in accordance with the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Estimates of the precise costs vary and never all have been posted yet.
Last week, Biden approved a $325 million package as a part of Russia’s spring counteroffensive.
For Pence, Biden’s help was not enough.
“He promised 33 Abrams tanks in January, that are yet to be delivered. And so they’re still roaming the planes,” Pence said.
Meet the Press host Chuck Todd noted that a gaggle of House Republicans complained in regards to the massive aid being provided to Ukraine and called for more oversight.
“Joe Biden did such a terrible job of explaining the importance of repelling the Russian invasion,” Pence countered.
Pence further claimed that the implications from Ukraine would also reverberate in the Asia-Pacific region.
“I also imagine that by giving Ukraine the chance to repel a Russian invasion, we are going to send a transparent message to China that the world won’t tolerate their use of force to redraw international lines on Taiwan,” Pence added.