Sen. Graham: DeSantis Taking 'Chinese Position' on Ukraine

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis saying Ukraine is a mere "territorial dispute" and not "vital" national interest to the U.S. has Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., calling him out for "taking the Chinese position."

"Gov. DeSantis, who I respect, is basically taking the Chinese position when it comes to Russia's invasion," Graham told Fox News on Friday. "China calls this a territorial dispute. This is not a territorial dispute. This is an invasion of a sovereign democracy by [Vladimir Putin's] Russia, barbaric in nature."

DeSantis' comments were made in a survey to Fox News' Tucker Carlson, a noted Russia-Ukraine war skeptic who has expressed his concern of the U.S. dangerously engaging in a proxy war with the nuclear-power Russia.

But Graham, an Air Force veteran and a one-time military judge, warns President Joe Biden has already been weak enough on Putin's aggression in Ukraine. Graham said DeSantis "has got much to be proud of as governor," but a potential president candidate must be stronger on Russia, because China is eyeing military action against Taiwan to keep it within its sphere of influence.

"I think any Republican that goes down the Biden road of trying to, you know, go weak in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is inviting more aggression," Graham told Fox News.

Graham's remarks come as he has already endorsed former President Donald Trump, who has expressed similar America first positions on Russia's war in Ukraine.

"If he got to be president again — I really do believe Putin wouldn't have invaded on his watch — but I've told President Trump that if you don't see a nexus between China going after Taiwan, and Russia going into Ukraine, you're not watching very closely," Graham added.

DeSantis' remarks expressed concern that a "blank check" to Ukraine is keeping Biden and the U.S. from focusing on the domestic, national security, and border issues the administration is failing to address.

Also, DeSantis warned, Biden has effectively "driven Russia into a de facto alliance with China," which is bolstering "Putin's war machine."

But instead of potentially curbing support for Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, the U.S. should be amping up its opposition to Russia and China, according to Graham.

"China is a communist dictatorship; Putin is one of the most notorious foreign criminals of the 21st century," he continued. "It's an axis of evil in its own way, when you throw Iran in there.

"But what I would do is just really put pressure on China to not help Russia militarily, because that extends to war. And I would label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism — that makes it more difficult for China to help Russia."

Graham might even move to "stop business as usual" in the Senate until Russia is added to the U.S. state sponsors of terror list that Iran, Syria, and North Korea are on.

"I am going to go all-in, stop business as usual on the Senate floor, to make the point that we need to label," Graham concluded, "Russia state a sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law,

"It would make Putin's Russian state radioactive — more than it is today."

Related Stories:

• DeSantis Ukraine Statement Causes Rift in GOP
• Gordon Chang to Newsmax: China's Coming for Russia, Too