Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was called out on Sunday during a discussion on Fox News when one contributor accused him of flip-flopping in regard to his recent comments about the war in Ukraine.
DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a 2024 presidential run later this spring, received criticism last week for comments he made about Ukraine during an interview with Tucker Carlson, in which he called the Eastern European country's conflict with Russia "a territorial dispute" that the United States should avoid "becoming further entangled in." The reaction against those remarks was considerable and spanned both sides of the political aisle.
In an interview with Fox Nation host Piers Morgan on Thursday, DeSantis claimed that his earlier comments had been "mischaracterized." He added that by "a territorial dispute," he meant to describe the conflict as it is currently playing out in Eastern Ukraine. Additionally, he also said that Russia had no right to instigate the conflict with its invasion of Ukraine last February.
"Obviously, Russia invaded that and that was wrong," the governor said. "They invaded Crimea and took that in 2014. That was wrong. What I'm referring to is kinda where the fighting is going on now, which is that western border or eastern border reaching Donbas and then Crimea."
On Sunday, Fox News correspondent Kevin Corke characterized the governor's comments to Morgan on Ukraine as a "flip-flop," and not simply an attempt to clarify intent, as some might argue. The change, he continued, was part of DeSantis' bid to develop a national political platform ahead of a potential presidential bid.
"I think he flip-flopped and I think it's because he knows this is obviously a significantly more serious circumstance than just sort of a border dispute," Corke said. "I think that goes without saying."
He continued: "The other thing is, as you become a national candidate, you have to have the talking points of a national candidate. We want to support the Ukrainian people, we want to make sure we're doing the right thing, and we can't just stand by while Russia sort of gobbles up bits and pieces of Europe. That's what he's trying to say now, but before I think he was sort of playing to the crowd a little bit."
Continued American aid to Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia has become a sticking point amongst some members of the Republican Party. Members of the party's far-right flank, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have said that the U.S. needs to cease spending on military aid for the war-torn country. Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, meanwhile, recently put forward a proposal that would formally call for an immediate end of U.S. aid to Ukraine.
Newsweek reached out to DeSantis's press office via email for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
