After visiting Ukraine and speaking with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his military leaders, former Vice President Mike Pence has come away "more determined than ever" that full military support for Ukraine is the right course for America.
"Think about it, Tom," Pence told Newsmax host Tom Basile in an interview that aired Sunday, "in a year and a half, Russia has gone from the second most powerful military in the world to the second most powerful military in Ukraine.
"It's real progress and it's because America has been there, even though the Biden administration has been too slow.
"They've been there from go, we just got to give them what they need to finish the job, and I believe they will."
Pence is just returning from Ukraine, being the first presidential candidate to pay a visit to the war-torn U.S. ally, but he clearly wants to make Russia and President Joe Biden his campaign adversaries and not former President Donald Trump.
"I'm running for president of the United States; I'm not running against anybody," Pence said at the end of the 11-plus minute interview. "I think this country is in a lot of trouble, Tom.
"President Joe Biden has weakened this country at home and abroad."
Pence urged Americans to back support for Ukraine, blasted Biden for "slow-walking" aid and "emboldening" the Russian invasion. He also hailed the Trump-Pence administration's seating of three conservative Supreme Court justices that delivered three victories this week against "unconstitutional student loan forgiveness," ending "race-based admissions" for an "aspiration of a color-blind society," and reiterating the "affirmation of the freedom of religion of every American of every faith."
"Like every other conservative American, I couldn't be more proud of this new conservative majority on the Supreme Court of the United States," Pence said.
"It just reminds you that elections have consequences. And the appointment of those three justices of the Supreme Court and the way that they're delivering on our constitutional rights and on our highest ideals is a source of great pride to me."
But, Pence warned, Biden's election in 2020 proved to have dire consequences in Ukraine, saying Biden reversed the Trump-Pence military aid to Ukraine, including "javelin missiles to turn those tanks back" on the outskirts of the capital of Kyiv last year.
"I left more determined than ever to be a voice for strong military support and to help explain to the American people that we're not there for the reasons Joe Biden says: Some gauzy about democracy in the world," Pence told Basile. "We're there because it's in the interest of the Unites States of America to support Ukraine when they repel the Russia invasion.
"Also, I really believe, it will send a deafening message to China that America is going to lead the free world and provide support to anyone that would be subject to attempts to use military force to redraw international lines.
"It's in our national interest. Ukraine is fighting hard – they're making progress."
Ultimately, America needs to keep the Cold War "Reagan Doctrine," Pence concluded.
"If you're willing the fight the communists in your country, we'll give you the means to fight them there, so we don't have to fight them here," he said.
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