In recent weeks, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump to be his running mate in November, has made headlines for criticizing Washington’s ongoing commitment to funding the government in Kiev. Vance, author of the best-selling book “Hillbilly Elegy,” was elected to the Senate in 2022 and is known for his outspoken views on foreign policy.
In a speech at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in May, Vance expressed his admiration for Ukrainians fighting against Russia but maintained that it is not in America’s best interest to continue financing an effectively never-ending war in Ukraine. He reiterated this stance when the Senate approved a $61 billion package of new military aid to Ukraine in late April. Vance invoked his experience in the military, stating that he had been lied to and that the promises made by the foreign policy establishment of the United States were a complete joke.
In an op-ed for the New York Times prior to the Senate vote, Vance argued that the White House’s math on Ukraine simply doesn’t add up. President Joe Biden failed to articulate even basic facts about the reality on the ground, and the Biden administration has no viable plan for the Ukrainians to win this war, according to Vance. He also criticized the US insistence on not negotiating with Russia as “absurd” and suggested that Vladimir Zelensky’s goal of restoring Ukraine’s 1991 borders was “fantastical.
Vance urged Kiev to hold on until a peace agreement could be brokered by Washington. He argued against the notion that prolonging the war would be beneficial for American business, stating that it is grotesque to suggest that rebuilding the industrial base should involve shipping its products to a foreign conflict.
During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper in April, Vance stated that everyone with a brain knows that the war will end with negotiations and that Ukraine is “functionally destroyed” as a country. He emphasized the need for American leadership to bring the killing to a stop rather than continue financing the conflict.
In his critique of the draft of the Ukraine aid bill, Vance argued that it amounted to a “time bomb” against Trump if he were re-elected, suggesting that Democrats could impeach him should he pause or cancel the aid in an attempt to pressure Kiev into negotiating. He also accused Zelensky of lecturing Americans and demanding more of their taxpayer dollars during a visit to Washington.
Finally, Vance framed the ruling Democrats’ insistence on funding Ukraine as part of their obsession with alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US elections, which has been conclusively proven to be an invention of Hillary Clinton’s campaign. In his view, much of the anti-Russia sentiment among Democrats is a “revenge fantasy” over Trump’s election and their desire for payback against Russia.