As President Biden meets with world leaders and makes clear that he will protect democracy and stand with our allies across the globe, don’t forget that MAGA Republican presidential candidates have made their stance on freedom and democracy crystal clear: They are siding against our ally as Vladimir Putin wages an unjust and violent war in Ukraine.

Donald Trump has had NO shame in saying he might let Putin “take over” parts of Ukraine, repeatedly praising Putin himself, and refusing to say who he wants to win the war. 

Daily Beast: “Fox News Edits Out Trump Saying He Might’ve Let Russia ‘Take Over’ Parts of Ukraine”

HuffPost: “Trump declined to call Vladimir Putin a war criminal, despite voluminous reports of atrocities such as torture and the use of rape as a tool of war by Russians in Ukraine.”

New York Times: “Mr. Trump repeated a frequent riff, saying that ‘both sides are weary and ready to make a deal’ and that the ‘death and destruction must end now.’ Mr. Trump has already said he would let Russia ‘take over’ parts of Ukraine in a negotiated deal.”

USA Today: “Trump also repeatedly refused to answer questions regarding whether he wants Russia or Ukraine to win the war. In an interview with Fox News, Trump also declined to say whether he would consider allowing Russia to keep Ukrainian land as part of an agreement to end the war.”

Trump on Putin: “We had a very good relationship.”

Washington Post, February 2022: “‘Genius,’ ‘Savvy’: Trump reacts to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine exactly as you’d expect”

Trump, February 2022: “‘I said, ‘“How smart is that?’” He’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper,’ added Trump, who regularly praised and sought close ties with Putin during his time in office. ‘That’s the strongest peace force. We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re going to keep peace, all right.’”

Trump, February 2022: “Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. … Here’s a guy who’s very savvy.”

Ron DeSantis called Putin’s bloody war a “territorial dispute” and a fight over the “borderlands.”

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

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.”

Vivek Ramaswamy has advocated for rewarding Putin for his unjust war in Ukraine and promised to end America’s support of Ukraine — posing a threat to our allies on the ground and democracy itself. 

Politico: “Ramaswamy spoke to POLITICO reporters in their offices Monday just one day after he told ABC News that the U.S. could end the fighting by making ‘some major concessions’ to Russia. NatSec Daily pressed him after the meeting on what that would mean.

“‘Putin would end [up] with Crimea and most of the Donbas,’ he told us. Furthermore, NATO should vow that Ukraine won’t join the alliance and the U.S. should restore ‘full economic relations’ with Russia. ‘Those are big concessions,’ he underscored.”

CBS News: “If Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wins the presidency, he says he would end U.S. support for Ukraine and instead broker a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.”

“And as part of the settlement, he said he would suspend U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, prevent Kyiv from joining NATO and lift Western sanctions against the Kremlin. He would also withdraw all troops from Ukraine and close all bases in Eastern Europe.”

Mike Pence defended Trump as the former president cozied up to Putin AND stood alongside Trump as he withheld military aid from Ukraine.

BBC News: “US President Donald Trump has defended Russia over claims of interference in the 2016 presidential election. … Vice-President Mike Pence, in a speech at the US Department of Commerce, defended the [Trump-Putin] summit and praised President Trump.”

CNBC: “The Trump administration broke the law by withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine last summer ‘for a policy reason,’ a top government watchdog said Thursday in a scathing report.”