If a Republican were to become the next US president, support for Ukraine could fall dramatically. That would also be bad news for Europe.
Bastian Brauns reports from Washington
The Republican’s anger at the loss of the US drone over the Black Sea was not feigned. “I’m pissed off,” said Mike Rounds, while apologizing for his choice of words. On the podium at a security conference in Washington, the senator continued, “Let’s be honest with you guys. They shot down an American fighter jet.” The first reaction of the Biden government was therefore much too cautious for him. “There has to be more,” Rounds said. “Taking down planes is a serious violation of international norms.” You can’t just let that happen.
The incident over the Black Sea on Tuesday this week, in which the US government said Russian warplanes downed an American drone, has provoked strong reactions in the US capital, particularly among Republicans. Reactions like Mike Rounds’ are consistent with a view that Americans have taken for granted towards Russia, and formerly the Soviet Union, for many decades.
Republican struggle
But something has changed drastically. So-called isolationists are increasingly in charge among Republicans: politicians who question US involvement in Europe and Ukraine. A strange passivity towards the former arch-enemy Russia can also be seen. The possible presidential candidates are at the forefront – Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The two competitors outbid each other with foreign policy comments against the commitment to Ukraine. If you believe the arguments put forward by Trump and DeSantis, you can imagine what could happen if either one were actually elected to the White House in 2024. US support for Ukraine could be significantly reduced. That would be a problem for all of Europe.
Trump and DeSantis question Ukraine support
For weeks now, Donald Trump has been stoking fears of a possible Third World War in his speeches. Donald Trump also liked the role of a dark prophet during his campaign appearance in the state of Iowa. “I stand before you today and I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III,” Trump said.
To applause from the crowd, he continued, “Because I really believe you’re going to get World War III.” His reasoning: times are more dangerous than ever, because Joe Biden had “driven Russia straight into the arms of China”. The fact that he was right in his claims is shown by the fact that he also criticized the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline from the start.
Trump’s fierce inner-party competitor and also a possible candidate for the presidential candidacy, Ron DeSantis, had so far hardly commented on foreign policy issues. Florida’s governor is too busy with a culture war against the Democrats. But when it came to Ukraine, he too broke his silence and made his view of the war unmistakably clear. “We cannot prioritize intervention in an escalating foreign war over defending our homeland,” DeSantis wrote in response to a query from Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
DeSantis described the Biden administration’s military support for Ukraine as “‘blank check’ funding of the conflict” that distracts from the country’s most pressing challenges. Like Trump, he claimed that the Biden administration’s policies had “de facto pushed Russia into an alliance with China.”
Criticism of the hawks on the new course
The drone crash over the Black Sea, allegedly caused by Russian fighter pilots, is now acting as a fire accelerator within the Republican Party. A colleague of Senator Mike Rounds on the Army Affairs Committee was very explicit. Roger Wicker, speaking to Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and other party colleagues, said, “This incident should be a wake-up call to isolationists in the United States that it is in our national interest to treat Putin for the threat he is.”
With regard to condemning and combating Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, the position of most Republicans in the US Senate has long been considered stable. Last but not least, the German federal government also relies on their power. Again and again it is heard that nothing will come of the issue of support for Ukraine.
