US Republican 2024 hopefuls defend Ukraine support at Iowa conservative forum

DES MOINES, Iowa - Republican US presidential contenders attending a forum of Christian conservatives in Iowa that typically focuses on social issues found themselves on Friday having to explain their support for

Ukraine in its war with Russia

to a sceptical crowd.

The forum in Des Moines was sponsored by the Family Leader, an influential Iowa evangelical group, that is a traditional stop on the Republican presidential campaign trail for candidates seeking to burnish their conservative credentials in Iowa.

The state will hold the first contest in the race to determine the party’s nominee to face Democratic President Joe Biden in 2024.

Some of the hardest questions they faced were not on popular conservative social issues such as opposition to abortion and transgender rights but rather on foreign policy.

Pushed by moderator Tucker Carlson, the ousted former Fox News host, to justify their stances, former vice-president Mike Pence and US Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina both argued that it remains vital for the United States to

push back against Russian aggression.

The US has provided billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine following Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

“Let me tell you, if Vladimir Putin overruns Ukraine, I have no doubt that the Russian military is going to cross the border of a Nato country that our armed forces will have to defend,” said Mr Pence, referring to Russia’s President.

Mr Pence appeared visibly frustrated by Mr Carlson’s assertions that the US lacked a national interest in the Ukraine war.

Mr Scott also defended assisting Ukraine, arguing that “everything that we do that degrades the Russian military is good for America”.

Mr DeSantis earlier in 2023 suggested that the war was simply a “territorial dispute” before backtracking and labelling Mr Putin a “war criminal”.

On Friday, Mr DeSantis sought to make the case that Mr Biden’s administration had not done enough to define America’s interests at stake in Ukraine.

“They are doing a blank-check policy without telling us when we have achieved our objective,” Mr DeSantis said.

The ultimate goal for the US, Mr DeSantis added, should be “a sustainable peace in Europe”, but he was not specific about how to achieve that.

By contrast, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, another candidate, called for an immediate end to the war and for Russia to keep its territorial gains.

Most in the crowd seemed to side with Mr Carlson’s view that the US should force an immediate truce in Ukraine – and most remained quiet when Mr Pence and Mr Scott disagreed.

Trump also has been sharply critical of US support of the war, charging in a statement on Friday that Mr Biden had engaged in “reckless escalation” in Ukraine by calling up 3,000 reservists from the US military. Mr Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election.

Republican candidates who have pledged to back Ukraine, including former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, have failed to gain much traction in opinion polls.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in June showed that a slight majority of Republicans – 56 per cent – backed US shipments of weapons to Ukraine, compared with 65 per cent of Americans overall.

Mr Carlson also pushed Mr Pence on his role in certifying the 2020 election results in the US Congress, even as Trump and his allies made false claims that the election had been stolen through widespread voting fraud.

On the day of the certification vote, Trump supporters attacked the Capitol after he told them to “fight like hell” to “stop the steal”.

Mr Pence defended his actions and criticised Trump.

“President Trump’s words that day were reckless,” Mr Pence said. “I believe history will hold him accountable.” No applause was heard.

Iowa’s nominating contest is set for Jan 15.

Candidates receiving strong evangelical support have won the state’s caucuses contest in recent years. REUTERS