After engaging in a lively 30-minute debate that involved repeated endorsements of their campaign websites and numerous iterations of the word “lie,” Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida and Nikki Haley finally diverged on a substantive policy issue: the war in Ukraine.
Foreign policy has been a recurring theme in Ms. Haley’s previous debates, where she has demonstrated her expertise in international affairs from her tenure as ambassador to the United Nations. She has consistently challenged the isolationist stances of candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy.
During Wednesday night’s debate, Ms. Haley once again emphasized her contrasting position with Mr. DeSantis regarding military aid to Ukraine. While clarifying that she did not advocate for deploying American troops on the ground, she stressed the importance of assisting Ukraine to prevent a broader global conflict. She argued that supporting Ukraine was crucial in aiding a “pro-American, freedom-loving country” and deterring further Russian aggression.
“This is ultimately about preventing war—it has always been about that,” Ms. Haley asserted. “If we provide support to Ukraine, it would only amount to 3.5 percent of our defense budget.”
In contrast, Mr. DeSantis, who has been more critical of American assistance to Ukraine, portrayed Ms. Haley’s stance as aligned with President Biden’s. He criticized what he perceived as an indefinite commitment to a potentially protracted conflict.
“They will never tell you when they have achieved their goal, and this could go on for hundreds of billions more in the future,” Mr. DeSantis argued. He further claimed that Ms. Haley prioritized Ukraine’s border over America’s own southern border.
Ms. Haley swiftly denounced this as a false choice, interrupting the moderators to voice her disagreement after Mr. DeSantis had finished speaking.
“This is the falsehood they keep perpetuating to the American people,” she countered. “They claim that we must choose between Ukraine or Israel, or between Israel and securing our border.”
She emphatically declared, “It is absolutely wrong to make such assertions.”
(Note: This revised version has been changed significantly from the original text to ensure uniqueness and avoid plagiarism.)
Disclaimer: Only the headline and content of this report may have been reworked by Newsearay, staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. The Article was originally published onpolitics/desantis-haley-debate-ukraine.html”> Source link
