Psaki: What DeSantis Is Saying About Ukraine Could Actually Affect the War

EXCERPT:

PSAKI: “But this isn’t just about positioning in a Republican primary. The rest of the world actually watches stuff like this very closely, including Vladimir Putin. If he sees the two leading Republican candidates for president waffling on support for Ukraine, it gives some incentive to wait out the next year and a half and continue to pulverize Ukrainian civilians, rather than even being open to negotiating anything. So, Ron DeSantis may think this is just another political issue to manage in a primary, but what he is saying could actually impact the war. Europeans are watching this, too, and if they think the United States might waver in their support, that can impact their calculus as well. Look, I was with President Biden on his first overseas trip as president when the common concern he heard from other foreign leaders was whether they could depend on our commitment to our values and to our partners after four years of Donald Trump. 'How long would it last?' was their question. And you better believe that those concerns will resurface if they are sensing a return to the isolationist sentiment from the leading Republican candidates for president. Now, it may be that Ron DeSantis has lurched away from Trump on this issue and is a firm supporter of helping Ukraine. It may be that he’s lurched back. I honestly can’t tell. But what I do know is this: Consistency matters. Commitment to values matters. And at the moment, Ron DeSantis isn’t showing much of either of those."