FIRST ON FOX - In a bid to urge fellow members of the Republican Party to unite behind Ukraine, former Vice President Mike Pence is hitting back on the GOP’s opposition to continued U.S. support for Kyiv in its war against Russia.
The number one reason Pence argues the GOP should back Ukraine is also the party's chief argument against continued support – China.
"China is openly assisting Russia in its invasion of Ukraine," memo released by Pence's conservative nonprofit, Advancing American Freedoms, said Tuesday. "Defeating Russia hamstrings China.
"Russian control over Ukraine would provide China with more oil and natural gas, further fueling China’s expansionist ambitions," it added.
Pence also argued that a win for Russia would be a win for China and further empower both authoritarian regimes.
Many Republicans in the Upper Chamber, like Sen. Lindsey Graham and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have unequivocally backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – some even making the trip to Ukraine, while many Republicans in the House have opposed more U.S. support over concerns related to spending.
However, China is not the only concern some in the GOP have floated when it comes to continued Ukrainian support.
Concerns over U.S. border security and the massive debt Washington faces have also been routinely cited as major issues, prompting some to opt out of supporting Kyiv.
"Securing the border is primarily an issue of willpower, not a $$ problem," the AAF said in its memo, claiming that Putin in the past has "weaponized refugees" and he could do it again if he isn’t stopped in Ukraine.
"While there’s no question that the federal government has a massive overspending problem, lethal aid to Ukraine has been worth every penny," it said.
The memo pointed out that the U.S. has used just 1.5 % of its federal budget to defend Ukraine and to "degrad[e] the Russian military from the second best in the world to the second best in Ukraine."
"The cost of a Russian attack on a NATO ally, who we are treaty-bound to defend, would quickly exceed 1.5% of the federal budget," AAF added. "It is in America’s best interests for Ukraine to win the war."