Ron DeSantis has made clear to the American people that when it comes to defending democracy around the world, he’ll stand against our allies. As Russia wages an unprovoked and unjust war on Ukraine, DeSantis is siding with Vladimir Putin.

Ron DeSantis has repeatedly parroted Putin’s talking points, calling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “territorial dispute” and doubling down on his position despite bipartisan backlash.

DeSantis: “You have Ukraine and Russia fighting over kind of the borderlands.”

DeSantis: “[Ukraine] is more of a secondary or tertiary interest.”

New York Post: “His assertion, in a statement to Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, that it is not in America’s ‘vital national interests’ to become ‘further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia’ was strongly criticized by numerous senior Republicans — including Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Marco Rubio.”

Florida Politics: “DeSantis reaffirmed the ‘territorial dispute’ framing soon thereafter. ‘And the dispute at this point or the war at this point is not whether Ukraine’s government is going to fall. They’re fighting over territory on the far eastern part of the country between Russia and Ukraine.’”

DeSantis has failed to lay out a clear position on U.S. support for Ukraine and refused to say if he would continue providing aid to counter Russia’s aggression.

CNN: “DeSantis downplays war in Ukraine and won’t say if he would continue to send aid if he were president.” 

Washington Post’s Josh Rogin: “The war in Ukraine is the most important foreign policy issue facing the U.S. president today — but aspiring candidate Ron DeSantis can’t articulate a coherent view. By trying to placate everybody, the Republican governor of Florida is pleasing no one. And his dodging is an insult to the voters he is courting. Even after officially announcing his presidential run, DeSantis can’t give a straight answer when asked about the Ukraine war.”