Pence urges GOP to unite behind Ukraine in bid to counter China, Russia

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. 

Servicemen of the 24th Mechanised Brigade fire a" Giatsint-S" 152mm self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region of Ukraine on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade via AP)

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"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. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in secret trip June 29, 2023. (Fox News)

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. 

GOP division on the matter not only held up U.S. support for Ukraine and significantly impacted its war effort during the winter and spring months, but it could also spell trouble for the party as Americans head to the pulls this November. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, speaks during his visit to Zaporizhzhia region, the site of fierce battles with the Russian troops in Ukraine, on Feb. 4, 2024. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

"The Biden-Harris administration has failed America at home and abroad, so it is small wonder there are skeptics of continuing aid to Ukraine," Pence said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "But the simple fact is America will be less secure if Ukraine falls. 

"A more powerful Russia will only encourage China to be more aggressive. Standing firm in providing lethal aid to Ukraine will restrain authoritarian regimes from Tehran to Beijing, and, most importantly, will protect and secure our great nation," he added.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin look toward each other as they shake hands prior to their talks in Beijing on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

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.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks during an event to promote his new book at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank on Oct. 19, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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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."