Republican presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence warned Wednesday that should Russia defeat Ukraine and expand farther into western Europe, American troops would be called to fight.
Pence, appearing on the "Hugh Hewitt Show," said it's in the United States' national interests to make sure Ukraine fends off Russia's invasion. His view is a departure from the leading candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who have criticized the amount of aid the U.S. has given Kyiv.
Pence, who served under Trump, made a brief visit to Ukraine last week. He met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and toured a mass burial site in Bucha.
"I have no doubt that if Vladimir Putin overran Ukraine, it would not be too long, Hugh, before the Russian military crossed a border where we would have to send our fighting men and women to fight against them," Pence said, according to a transcript of his appearance on the national syndicated radio show. "So, I'm a guy who believes in that old [Ronald] Reagan doctrine: If you're willing to fight the enemies in the United States on your soil, we'll give you the means to fight them there so our men and women in uniform don't have to fight them. And I'm going to continue to be a voice for that in this campaign and all across this country."
The U.S. has provided more than $77 billion in humanitarian, financial, and military assistance to Ukraine since January 2022, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute.
"What's going on in Ukraine is not just warfare; it's evil," Pence said. "And frankly, I really left more resolved than ever that it is in our national interest to give the Ukrainian military the support they need to fight and to repel this Russian invasion."
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