Pence pushes back: US must provide Ukraine with ‘resources to defend themselves’

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday pushed back against Republicans who have called for rolling back U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Pence offered the remarks just a day after published remarks from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who suggested a GOP majority would not give a “blank check” to the country.

McCarthy is likely to become Speaker if the GOP wins back the majority, which is also expected.

“We must continue to provide Ukraine with the resources to defend themselves,” Pence said in a speech to the Heritage Foundation. “We must continue to bring economic pressure of the most powerful economy in the world on Russia, and we must continue to provide the generosity, compassion and prayers of the American people until Russia relents and until peace is restored.”

Pence’s comments came after McCarthy told Punchbowl News that House Republicans will not write “a blank check” to Ukraine if they take control of the lower chamber next year. 

While Ukraine aid has received bipartisan support in Congress so far, a minority of House Republicans taking a non-interventionist “America First” stance have opposed aid to Ukraine, a fight that would be amplified if the GOP retakes the majority after the midterms.

In May, 11 Republican senators and 57 House Republicans voted against a $40 billion security supplemental for Ukraine.

“I know there is a rising chorus in our party, including some new voices to our movement, who would have us disengage with the wider world, and abandon the traditional values of the heart of our movement,” Pence said Wednesday. “But appeasement has never worked, ever, in history. And now more than ever we need a conservative movement committed to America’s role as leader of the free world and as a vanguard of American values.”

Pence has been a staunch advocate for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. The former vice president visited the country’s border in March and met with refugees who were fleeing the violence.

Russia has repeatedly escalated the war in the months since, most recently hitting major Ukrainian cities with missile strikes that have knocked out power for swaths of the country.

Pence on Wednesday called Russia’s invasion “unconscionable,” and he urged conservatives to push back against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists for Putin,” Pence said. “There is only room in this movement for champions of freedom.”