Potential Republican Presidential Nominees Trump and DeSantis Could End US Support of Ukraine and End War on Putin’s Terms

The potential Republican presidential nominees, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have made it clear that if they make it to the White House, US weapons and ammunition to Ukraine would be in danger and the war could end on Putin’s terms.

In response to DeSantis’s statement that the war in Ukraine is a “territorial dispute” and not a “vital national interest” of the United States, Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted on Tuesday that he is sure that DeSantis, as a former military officer deployed to a combat zone, knows the difference between a “dispute” and war. Nikolenko also invited DeSantis to visit Ukraine to get a deeper understanding of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the threats it poses to U.S. interests.

The stands of the two highest-polling potential GOP nominees underscore the rising antipathy among grassroots conservatives to the war and President Joe Biden’s marshaling of the West to bankroll Kyiv’s resistance to Putin’s unprovoked invasion.

The war in Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula. Since then, the US has provided Ukraine with weapons and ammunition to help them fight against Russian forces. However, if Trump or DeSantis were to become president, the US’s support of Ukraine could be in danger, and the war could end on Putin’s terms. This could have serious implications for the US’s relationship with Russia, as well as the security of Ukraine.