U.S. attacks Iran-affiliated targets in Syria, following drone strike that killed 1 American contractor, injured 5 U.S. troops.
(CNS News) -- Conservative author, venture capitalist, and U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio J.D. Vance said in a statement today that the U.S. "spent $6 billion on a failed Ukrainian army" and "foolishly pressured" Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s, which killed any major leverage it might have had against Russian aggression.
Vance also stressed that U.S. or NATO intervention in the war would be a "disaster" and should be opposed. Moreover, "Congress must demand a debate on any further deployment of resources to that region," he said.
"Russia's assault on Ukraine is unquestionably a tragedy, especially for the innocent people caught in the crossfire," said Vance. "It's also a stark reminder of our own failed leadership."
"For decades, elites pursued a policy of isolating Russia, which has only had the effect of driving Putin directly into the arms of the Chinese Communists," he said. "We wouldn't be watching the tragedy we're witnessing today if Russia didn't have Beijing's backing."
"We spent $6 billion on a failed Ukrainian army," Vance said. "Our leaders foolishly pressured Ukraine to give up their nuclear arsenal in the 1990s, which stripped them of their leverage to deter an eventual Russian invasion. These supposed 'experts' wrongly predicted that these moves would deter Russia instead of provoking them; on this, as with so much else, they were catastrophically wrong."
"Trump deserves an incredible amount of credit for the strength and diplomatic engagement that kept Putin in check -- and Biden an equal amount of blame for his lack of leadership," he added. "Our energy independence gave us leverage; Biden squandered it."
"While media elites slander those of us who believe in 'America First,' Russia is always at its most bellicose when a globalist sits in the Oval Office," said Vance.
"In the coming days, the usual suspects will show no humility," Vance continued. "Russia has earned sanctions, but whatever sanctions we apply will have little effect. So the experts will demand we do 'something' without spelling out what it even means."
"Putin is an evil man, but the foreign policy establishment that led Ukraine directly into the slaughterhouse deserves nothing but scorn," said Vance.
"[W]e must remember that the only real solution to tyranny abroad is a strong America, with protected borders, a prosperous middle class, and healthy people," he said. "Because further engulfing ourselves in Eastern Europe harms and distracts from those goals, we must avoid blundering our way into the conflict there."
"Meanwhile," Vance added, "Congress must demand a debate on any further deployment of resources to that region."
Vance, 37, served four years in the Marine Corps and served in the Iraq war. He earned a B.A. (summa cum laude) from Ohio State University and a law degree (J.D.) from Yale University. He is the author of the New York Times best seller Hillbilly Elegy. Vance, a Republican, is married and has two children.
