Pence: ‘Biden has done a terrible job explaining our national interest in Ukraine’

Former Vice President Pence, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, said Sunday President Biden has done a “terrible job” explaining America’s interest in Ukraine.

“I know he said we’re there as long as it takes, but, frankly, it shouldn’t take that long,” Pence told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” “This administration has been, not surprisingly, dragging their feet on providing military support from early on. They cut off the military aid that we had been providing to Ukraine under the Trump/Pence administration in the early going.”

Biden said earlier this month that the United States would “not waver,” on support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. While the president said Ukraine is not ready for membership into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), he announced a long-term security plan for Kyiv at this month’s NATO summit.

“Even after the initiation of hostilities and the unconscionable Russian invasion, the administration has been slow in delivering armor and delivering munitions and still hasn’t given permission to provide aircraft and F-16s for our allies,” Pence said on Sunday, noting the United States invested 3 percent of its defense budget in Ukraine.

“Joe Biden gives these gauzy speeches about democracy in Ukraine,” Pence continued. “We’re there supporting them on a military basis and supporting their soldiers for the reason that I believe, if [Russian President] Vladimir Putin overran Ukraine, it wouldn’t be long before the Russia military crossed the border, where our men and women in uniform would be called upon to go and fight and defend,” noting that the United States has a national interest in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Pence also argued giving Ukrainians what is needed to fight Russia is the “best way” to signal to China that “America is the leader of the free world.”

“And we’re not going to tolerate either Russia or China, should they attempt to do so, to redraw international lines by force,” he added.