Pence Declares Conservatism Cannot Include ‘Apologists to Putin,’ Voices Strong Support for Continued U.S. Aid to Ukraine

Former Vice President Mike Pence offered a passionate argument on Fox News Wednesday for why he believes the U.S. must continue to support Ukraine in its battle to repel Russia’s invading forces. Pence spoke to Fox News after addressing the Heritage Foundation where he declared “there can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists to Putin.”

“The House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, who wants to become the next Speaker of the House, had said if Republicans take the gavel that America will no longer be a blank check for the war on Ukraine. Do you take issue with that” asked anchor John Roberts, referring to widely publicized remarks from McCarthy on Tuesday.

“You know, the United States throughout our history has understood that we need to be the leader of the free world. That includes being the arsenal of democracy. And in the days of Ronald Reagan, we we understood the value of confronting the Russians and communism in the world, not by necessarily fighting them directly, but by making sure the people that were fighting the communists, whether in our hemisphere or other places around the world, had the resources that they need,” Pence responded, adding:

I think this is such a fight, at the Heritage Foundation here in Washington today. I came to town to talk about an agenda for the new Congress coming forward. But I really do believe in rededicating our commitment to a strong national defense, which has been significantly weakened by this administration. It’s not being widely reported outside of Fox, but this administration, while they have broken the bank on domestic spending — $1.8 trillion in their first few months in office, that ignited the inflation that’s besetting families — they’ve been flatlining military spending in this country.

And and now more than ever, we need to we need to support our troops at home and abroad. But today I called on — I called on the Congress and the new majorities to continue to provide military support to Ukraine, to continue to keep sanctions to bear and continue to provide humanitarian support.

“We saw it firsthand. My wife and I went into Ukraine in March. We saw long lines of women of every age, children of every age, people dragging their earthly possessions behind them. And we have to make it clear that Putin will pay for this unconscionable war of aggression. And we need to continue to support the people of Ukraine as they fight for their defense,” Pence concluded.

Earlier on Wednesday Pence warned of “unprincipled populists” and “Putin apologists” in the GOP while speaking at the Heritage Foundation. “Our movement cannot forsake the foundational commitment that we have to security, to limited government, to liberty and to life. But nor can we allow our movement to be led astray by the siren song of unprincipled populism that’s unmoored from our oldest traditions and most cherished values,” Pence said, according to the Associate Press.

“As Russia continues its unconscionable war of aggression to Ukraine, I believe that conservatives must make it clear that Putin must stop and Putin will pay,” he added. “There can be no room in the conservative movement for apologists to Putin. There is only room in this movement for champions of freedom.”

“Just to put a point on it, should the amount of support that we’re giving to Ukraine in the future continue as it is now?” Roberts followed up.

“I think, look, I’m always in favor of accountability and understanding where the dollars are going,” Pence replied, noting a common criticism GOP members of Congress have waged against U.S. aid to Ukraine.

“But I think it’s absolutely essential that we send a deafening message to people fighting for freedom in Ukraine and and for our allies in Europe that we intend to stand with those who fight for freedom, that we will continue to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom until Putin withdraws or peace ensues,” Pence added, concluding:

That’s we’ve got to stand there, because I’ll tell you, I’ve I’ve I’ve stood toe to toe with Vladimir Putin. I’ve looked him right in the eye. The only thing he understands, John, is power. And standing with the people of Ukraine who are courageously fighting for their freedom. That’s what the arsenal of democracy and that’s what America needs to do.

Watch the full clip above via Fox News