US presidential candidate (Republican) Donald Trump revealed the names on his short list of vice presidential candidates, Fox News reported.
All of Trump’s vice presidential picks have either opposed, questioned, or reduced US support for Ukraine, which is struggling to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity from Russian aggression. Some of them have even insulted or slandered Ukraine and its president.
The list of vice presidential candidates includes three of Trump’s former rivals in the Republican primaries: Florida Governor (Republican) Ron DeSantis, Senator of South Carolina (Republican) Tim Scott, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Other potential candidates include South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, US House member Byron Donalds, and former House member Tulsi Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022.
Vivek Ramaswamy ran for president but dropped out and supported Donald Trump. During his presidential campaign, Ramaswamy called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “comedian in cargo pants” and accused him of being a Nazi. Ramaswamy also stated that he would recognize the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine as Russian, block Ukraine’s accession to NATO, and lift all sanctions against Russia.
In March 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a week after he was criticized for remarks that appeared to advocate a reduction in US military support for Ukraine. Ron DeSantis ran for US president but dropped out and endorsed Donald Trump.
In October 2023, Senator Tim Scott said that he would not support a request from President Biden to package aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan and funding for border security, even though he has endorsed US spending for each of those purposes.
When Russia invaded Crimea in southern Ukraine in 2014, Kristi Noem, then a Republican Senator from South Dakota, said that the US had to be “united” in the face of Russian aggression.
However, later, Kristi Noem changed her position regarding Ukraine. In March 2023, Noem described America’s military aid to Ukraine as “a costly strategic mistake.” Noem has also repeatedly said that US President Joe Biden “may have wanted Putin to invade Ukraine.”
In September 2023, Republican Byron Donalds said the House of Representatives has no money for Ukraine. Byron Donalds voted in the House against American aid to Ukraine.
Speaking on the Russia-Ukraine war, Tulsi Gabbard said that Ukraine is not worthy of protection because it is not a democracy.
Donald Trump noted that his vice presidential candidates “are all solid,” although he did not name the most likely candidate. Trump said that he needs a candidate who can help him from the “voter’s perspective” and someone who has “common sense” on issues such as the border, electric cars, and high-interest rates.
After winning the Iowa Republican primary, Donald Trump promised to resolve the situation with the war in Ukraine “very quickly, in 24 hours.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his readiness to go with Trump to the frontline in Ukraine so that he could see the reality of the war, which he wants to stop in 24 hours.
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