Gov. DeSantis Invited To Ukraine After Calling Russia's Invasion A 'Territorial Dispute'

FLORIDA — Ukrainian leaders have invited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to visit the war-torn nation after he called the Russian invasion of the country a “territorial dispute.”

He also said that the United States should no longer support the war.

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests — securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural and military power of the Chinese communist party — becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis responded to a questionnaire from Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

He criticized President Joe Biden’s “virtual ‘blank check’ funding” of the war, which he said has no “defined objectives or accountability,” and is distracting for the U.S.

Ukrainian officials quickly suggested that he visit and see how the war was going for himself.

“We are sure that as a former military officer deployed to a combat zone, Governor (DeSantis) knows the difference between a ‘dispute’ and war,” tweeted Oleg Nikolenko, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. “We invite him to visit Ukraine to get a deeper understanding of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the threats it poses to U.S. interests.”

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies said that Russia is likely to have suffered 60,000 to 70,000 combat fatalities in the first year of its invasion, the Economist reported, plus another 140,000 to 190,000 soldiers who have been wounded or are missing.

The CSIS estimates at least 8,000 confirmed Ukrainian civilian deaths from the fighting, according to the United Nations.

Norway defense chief Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen said last month on Norwegian TV that Ukraine has lost 100,000 troops and 30,000 civilians during the war.

Some Republican leaders are calling the governor out over his comments, as well.

“Well, it’s not a territorial dispute in the sense that any more than it would be a territorial dispute if the United States decided that it wanted to invade Canada or take over the Bahamas,” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said in an interview with Hugh Hewitt. “Just because someone claims something doesn’t mean it belongs to them.”

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted, “To those who believe that Russia’s unprovoked and barbaric invasion of Ukraine is not a priority for the United States — you are missing a lot.”

He added, “When an American leader tells an adversary what they will NOT do in a conflict, it sends a signal of weakness and generally prolongs the conflict, making it more likely to spread. The Ukrainians are fighting like tigers and can win with American weapons support – they are not asking for boots on the ground.”

Texas Sen. John Cornyn told CNN he was “surprised” by DeSantis’ comments.

“I mean, Gov. DeSantis is a veteran. He’s a smart guy. I think he’s a been a very good governor and I don’t understand him saying that Ukraine isn’t important to the United States,” Cornyn said.