During an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Republican Governor Ron DeSantis slammed the Biden administration for its “black-check policy” towards Ukraine with no clear objective.
The Biden administration has sent nearly $200 billion in aid to Ukraine to help it fight against the Russian invasion and has indicated it will continue to send money indefinitely.
“They have, effectively, a blank-check policy with no clear strategic objective identified,” DeSantis said of the Biden administration.
DeSantis pointed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that China, which has been sending non-lethal military aid to Russia, is planning on sending weapons as tensions between the U.S. and China have worsened after the Biden administration shot down a Chinese spy balloon floating over the U.S. earlier this month.
“These things can escalate and I don’t think it’s in our interest to be getting into a proxy war with China getting involved over things like the borderlands, or over Crimea,” DeSantis said. “So I think it would behoove them to identify what is the strategic objective that they’re trying to achieve. But just saying it’s an open-ended, blank check, that is not acceptable.”
“They’ve shown themselves to be a third-rate military power, I think they’ve suffered tremendous, tremendous losses,” DeSantis said of Russia. “I’ve got to think the people of Russia are probably disapproving of what’s going on. I don’t think they can speak up about it, for obvious reasons.”
“Russia has been really, really wounded here and I don’t think that they are the same threat to our country – even though they are hostile – I don’t think they’re on the same level as China,” DeSantis said.
WATCH: Gov. Ron DeSantis says U.S. has no "interest" on getting involved in "proxy war," slams "blank checks" from Biden admin to Ukraine
"What is the strategic objective? […] Just saying it's an open-ended blank check [to Ukraine] is unacceptable." pic.twitter.com/aXq7g4Epnz
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) February 20, 2023