‘Hollow words’: DeSantis’ office responds to Harris on Ukraine

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary fired back at Vice President Kamala Harris for her rebuke of the governor’s characterization of the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a “territorial dispute.”

On Stephen Colbert’s show, Harris was asked about DeSantis’ comments on Ukraine.

“What do you make of someone like Governor DeSantis who, while there is a strain of isolationism all throughout American history, is saying that this is not in America’s ‘strategic interest’ to side with the Ukrainians and offer them the material aid, they need to defend themselves against invading power,” he said.

Harris responded, pointing to meeting with world leaders giving her the “experience” and “understanding of international rules and norms.”

“The importance of the United States of America, standing firm and clear about the significance of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the significance of standing firm against any nation that would try to take by force another nation,” she said.

“If you really understand the issues, you probably would not make statements like that,” Harris said.

DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin called Harris’ remarks “hollow words […] considering our own southern border.”

“From Florida, @GovRonDeSantis has done more to highlight and defend the ‘sovereignty and territorial integrity’ of the United States than the Biden Admin and his ‘border czar’ @KamalaHarris have done,” he said.

DeSantis recently gave Fox News’ Tucker Carlson a lengthy statement on his positions for Ukraine.

The governor said that the U.S. has “many vital national interests,” but said that “territorial dispute[s],” such as the one between Ukraine and Russia, “is not one of them.”

“The Biden administration’s virtual ‘blank check’ funding of this conflict for ‘as long as it takes,’ without any defined objectives or accountability, distracts from our country’s most pressing challenges,” he said.

DeSantis said peace should be the objective of any U.S. involvement in Ukraine, “without question.”

“The U.S. should not provide assistance that could require the deployment of American troops or enable Ukraine to engage in offensive operations beyond its borders,” he said. “F-16s and long-range missiles should therefore be off the table.”

“These moves would risk explicitly drawing the United States into the conflict and drawing us closer to a hot war between the world’s two largest nuclear powers. That risk is unacceptable.”

Challenging notions from some anti-interventionist critics that DeSantis could be a “neocon” or “war monger,” DeSantis directly called out “DC foreign policy interventionists” for advocating “regime change” in Russia.

“A policy of ‘regime change’ in Russia (no doubt popular among the DC foreign policy interventionists) would greatly increase the stakes of the conflict, making the use of nuclear weapons more likely,” the governor said.

“Such a policy would neither stop the death and destruction of the war, nor produce a pro-American, Madisonian constitutionalist in the Kremlin,” he said. “History indicates that Putin’s successor, in this hypothetical, would likely be even more ruthless. The costs to achieve such a dubious outcome could become astronomical.”

DeSantis shifted his response to a broader criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of foreign policy with respect to Russia, arguing it has “driven Russia into a de facto alliance with China.”

“Russia has increased its foreign revenues while China benefits from cheaper fuel,” DeSantis said. “Coupled with his intentional depletion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and support for the Left’s Green New Deal, Biden has further empowered Russia’s energy-dominated economy and Putin’s war machine at Americans’ expense.”

Another criticism DeSantis expressed on America’s involvement in the Ukraine war is where, specifically, the “billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars are being utilized.”

“We cannot prioritize intervention in an escalating foreign war over the defense of our own homeland, especially as tens of thousands of Americans are dying every year from narcotics smuggled across our open border and our weapons arsenals critical for our own security are rapidly being depleted.”

The elaboration from the Florida governor came weeks after he became more vocal about the Ukraine war, expounding on his foreign policy that many potential supporters and critics were eager to know about in deciding who to support for the 2024 GOP nomination.

“These things can escalate, and I don’t think it’s in our interest to be getting into proxy war – with China getting involved – over things like the border lands, or over Crimea,” he said in February. “I think it would behoove them to identify what is the strategic objective they’re trying to achieve.”

“Just saying it’s an open ended blank check – that is not acceptable,” DeSantis said.

The morning after DeSantis’ statements to Carlson – Tuesday – Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told the Hugh Hewitt Show that the U.S. does have an “interest” in getting involved in Ukraine.

“I don’t think if we just stop helping Ukraine that the result is going to be peace,” Rubio said. “I think if we stop helping Ukraine, the result is going to be a slaughter followed by we’d now live in a world where the message would be pretty clear, and that is that if you want to invade a smaller neighbor and take their land, you can do it, and there won’t be very many consequences for it.”

Former President Donald Trump has long said that he would oversee a swift peace in Ukraine.

At a speech in Florida last month, the former president declared he could foster a peace agreement within 24 hours.

“From the night I won, I’d call two people. You know who the two people are? Putin […] and Zelensky. And I’d say, ‘We’re gonna meet,’” he said. “I’d tell one guy this, and I’d tell one guy that, and I’d say, ‘You better make a deal.’”