Christie on Ukraine aid: ‘I want them to have every weapon they need to be able to win’

Former New Jersey Gov. and 2024 presidential candidate Chris Christie on Thursday said he wants Ukraine to have “every weapon they need to be able to win” in their war against Russia.

Asked on NewsNation about whether he’d expand US commitment to Ukraine if he were to win the 2024 presidential race amid a continued war, Christie said he’d “increase it, because right now with the Biden administration is doing is giving them just enough weapons not to lose.” 

“I want them to have every weapon they need to be able to win,” he said of Ukraine.

“And this is a proxy war, not just against Russia … but as you know, it’s a proxy war against China. China is funding this Russian war through their purchase of Russian oil,” Christie continued. “They are coordinating with Iran to provide deadly weapons to the Russian army. And they are watching what we’re going to do.”

NewsNation host Chris Cuomo pressed the former governor on his answer, saying his party wouldn’t like his stance on the matter and would label him a “RINO,” or “Republican in name only.” Many in the GOP have criticized the Biden administration’s ongoing support for Kyiv and called for curtailing aid.

“The job of a leader is not to follow polls, it’s to change polls. … We can spend this money now and have Ukrainian soldiers fight our war, or we can spend a lot more money and American blood later to fight in Taiwan,” Christie responded. ” I’d rather have the fight now and send a clear message to China and not get to war to defend Israel in the Middle East by sending a clear message to Iran as well that we will back our friends, our Ukrainian friends.”

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been ongoing for 17 months since Moscow invaded its neighbor in February 2022. The U.S. and other Western allies have provided Ukraine billions of dollars in support to defend itself against the aggression, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to push for aid and admittance into the NATO military alliance.

The Biden administration earlier this month announced it would equip Ukraine with cluster munitions, a controversial move that President Biden said was in part because “the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.”

Biden, who is running for reelection in 2024, said Thursday there is “no possibility” of Russian President Vladimir Putin winning the war in Ukraine, adding the Moscow leader has “already lost.”

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