Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a possible Republican presidential candidate, has been criticized by a number of party members for saying that protecting Ukraine from a Russian invasion is not a vital US interest.
Republican reactions were collected by CBS News and The New York Times.
"Desantis is wrong and seems to have forgotten the lessons of Ronald Reagan... This is not a 'dispute over territories'. Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom. If we obey Putin and refuse to protect freedom, America's security will deteriorate", - reacted the former member of the House of Representatives and vice president of the special committee to investigate the events of January 6, Liz Cheney.
"Weakness provokes, and American officials who support such weak behavior are the best weapons for Putin. If Ukraine is left alone, a bigger conflict, including with China and other opponents of America, will become more likely," she emphasized.
Senator Lindsey Graham said that he categorically disagrees with the way DeSantis assesses the significance for the US of what will happen next with Ukraine, and it looks like he does not understand the situation.
"The Neville Chamberlain-style approach to aggression never ends in anything good... Putin is now trying to forcefully change the borders on the map of Europe," he emphasized. "This is not a 'conflict over territories', this is an aggressive war. matters, it's the same as saying that war crimes don't matter either."
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said that he did not understand from the statements of his colleague "what he is trying to do and what his goal is."
Senator Tom Tillis noted that the situation needs to be looked at more broadly than something related to Russia and Ukraine. "This is about a humanitarian crisis, about the fact that war crimes are being committed," he said.
"I would say - and I think most people in this country would agree - that it is very important for Ukraine to fight back against Russia," Senator John Thune responded.
Sen. Mike Rounds said he was troubled by DeSantis' statements, but suggested his position might change if he had access to large amounts of information, including classified information.
As it was reported, Desantis privately announced his intention to run for the post of the US president, which could be a real competition to the current favorite of the party, Donald Trump.
His latest statements about support for Ukraine are consistent with the position of Donald Trump and contradict the opinion of many influential party members, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
