Ron DeSantis & Ukraine: What the Florida Governor Got Right in His Statement

Today’s Russia is a pygmy compared to the Soviet Union of the 1980s. Yet, when Moscow invaded Afghanistan, the administrations of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan gave the mujahideen what they needed to sustain the fight. They did it because exhausting Russia was in the interests of the United States, not because we admired the pluck of the Afghans or hoped to strike a blow for freedom.

That’s the point I hope Ron DeSantis takes away from this week’s unforced error, in which he described the illegal war of aggression executed by Vladimir Putin’s thuggish regime against Ukraine as a mere “territorial dispute” — as if we should remain neutral in judging the relative merits of the armed robber and his victim. The flub was unfortunate, both because the promising Florida governor is just starting to introduce himself to much of the public as he readies a 2024 presidential bid, and because, on balance, the answers he submitted in response to questions by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson demonstrated a sound understanding of America’s interests in the world.

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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Today’s Russia is a pygmy compared to the Soviet Union of the 1980s. Yet, when Moscow invaded Afghanistan, the administrations of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan gave the mujahideen what they needed to sustain the fight. They did it because exhausting Russia was in the interests of the United States, not because we admired the pluck of the Afghans or hoped to strike a blow for freedom.

That’s the point I hope Ron DeSantis takes away from this week’s unforced error, in which he described the illegal war of aggression executed by Vladimir Putin’s thuggish regime against Ukraine as a mere “territorial dispute” — as if we should remain neutral in judging the relative merits of the armed robber and his victim. The flub was unfortunate, both because the promising Florida governor is just starting to introduce himself to much of the public as he readies a 2024 presidential bid, and because, on balance, the answers he submitted in response to questions by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson demonstrated a sound understanding of America’s interests in the world.

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.