Divide on Ukraine support emerges in early 2024 GOP field

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Echoing a line he has used since the beginning of the war, Pence said, “There is no room for Putin apologists in the Republican Party” — a veiled criticism of Trump, who has called Putin “smart.” In his first real articulation of a plan for Ukraine, DeSantis echoed a Russian talking point by referring to the war as a “territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia.” Ukraine’s borders are internationally recognized, including by the United Nations. Trump, as he has before, noted that Russia’s invasion didn’t happen during his administration, casting the conflict as “due to a new lack of respect for the U.S.” With him as president, Trump said, “that horrible war would end in 24 hours, or less.” Previously asked how he would accomplish this feat, Trump said in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference that “you need that office, that power, that whatever it is” of being U.S. president, without providing any details. Trump said opposing Russia’s war in Ukraine was of national strategic interest not for the U.S. but for Europe, which “should be paying far more than we are, or equal.” Haley, who declared her candidacy last month and posted her responses to Carlson’s questionnaire in an emailed statement, said U.S. support for Ukraine was critical against an anti-American regime that is “attempting to brutally expand by force into a neighboring pro-American country.” A Russian victory in Ukraine, she said, would only make countries like China and Iran “more aggressive.” Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, a potential 2024 candidate, called for “accountability for every single dollar spent” on aid to Ukraine. “And for those who are worried about the cost that this support that we have provided Ukraine amounts to, we would encourage them to consider the cost in blood and treasure — in American blood and treasure — should Mr. Putin succeed and continue to expand his goals.” In a surprise visit to Washington just before Christmas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech at the U.S. Capitol that the American aid to his country was “not charity” but rather an investment in global security and democracy.