Trump's VP pick sparks controversy on Ukraine and US Aid
2:11 PM EDT, July 16, 2024
- I consider this election talk, or he doesn't have the competence for military matters - this is how Gen. Waldemar Skrzypczak comments on the statements of J.D. Vance, the candidate for vice president chosen by Donald Trump. Right after his nomination, Vance announced that he wants to quickly end the war in Ukraine, and earlier he became famous for saying that he doesn't care about Ukraine.
- Perhaps Mr. Vance has not yet acquired the competence to speak on issues such as the critical interests of the United States in Europe. Surely, if he became vice president, numerous officials would make him aware that it is in the interest of the USA to weaken Russia. This happens when Ukraine receives military support – says Gen. Waldemar Skrzypczak.
In a conversation with WP, the military officer referred to the first declarations of vice presidential candidate James David Vance. This 39-year-old senator from Ohio was pointed out by Donald Trump as a key partner after winning the election.
In his first interview, Vance said: - We need to quickly end the war in Ukraine so that America can focus on the real problem, China. We spent 200 billion dollars. What is the goal? What do we want to achieve? Is there a risk of escalation to nuclear war? Because there is, if we have foolish people leading foreign policy, of which we currently have many in Washington - Vance said in an interview with Fox News.
According to Gen. Skrzypczak, these words are the result of politicians' electoral calculations. Trump and Vance want to distinguish themselves from Joe Biden's administration. - In reality, the United States is bound to continue providing aid because weakening Russia depends on the future balance of power in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Ceasing aid would mean that America falls out of the game, giving up its leadership position - added Skrzypczak. He admitted that in case of doubts regarding further US support, "Europe would have to shoulder more of the burden."
Who is J.D. Vance? A disaster for Ukraine
J.D. Vance is one of the loudest opponents of US aid to Ukraine in the American Congress. He reprimanded the Biden administration for its continuous financial and material support and led a campaign in the Senate to block a package worth 60 billion dollars. The Republican argued that American support for Ukraine in its war with Russian invaders is unnecessarily costly, and he called the return to Ukraine's borders before the invasion a "fantasy."
Vance argued that Ukraine should cease offensive maneuvers in its war with Russia and start negotiations for an agreement because the West will never be able to produce enough weapons to enable them to win. He also believes that Russia will not be able to occupy all of Ukraine with its forces. At the same time, he called Vladimir Putin a "man of evil." The politician is on Russia's list of people banned from entering the country.
The US presidential elections are scheduled to take place in November 2024. The main candidates are the current head of the White House, Democrat Joe Biden, and his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump. Chances of Biden's victory, however, are not very high. The reasons are his age and the unsuccessful first debate with Trump, after which he was called to withdraw from the election.
Ukrainian media, including the Unian agency, described scenarios in the spring of this year in case of a lack of American assistance. Ukrainian veterans announced at the time that if necessary, they would fight even in western Ukraine, and rifles would be sufficient for them.