Republican Senator and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance questioned the importance of Ukraine to U.S. strategic interests on a recent episode of "The Tim Dillon Show" podcast, which aired on Oct. 26.
Vance suggested that Ukraine is less crucial than other regions, specifically Taiwan, which he highlighted as the world’s leading producer of semiconductor chips.
"My whole argument with the Russia-Ukraine (war) is that Russia should have never invaded Ukraine, a lot of innocent people are being killed... Our interest is in peace. But part of that is motivated by my view that Ukraine is not nearly as important to us as other regions of the world, right? Just putting my cards on the table," Vance told Tim Dillon, an American stand-up comedian, who questioned Vance on various topics, including those related to foreign policy.
"Taiwan makes so much of the computer chips, which is such a driver of all economic growth, that if the Chinese took over Taiwan, it would be really bad for us."
When asked about the cause of the war in Ukraine, Vance replied: "Did American diplomacy actually create conflict instead of diffusing conflict? In my view, it did."
Vance, who was selected as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's running mate in July, has been outspoken about his opposition to U.S. aid for Ukraine. He repeatedly has said that he "doesn't care about Ukraine," including just days after the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Vance also repeatedly disparaged Ukraine and voiced his unwillingness to continue U.S. support in leaked text messages with far-right conspiracy theorist Charles Johnson, the Washington Post reported on Aug. 7.
Vance also rejected the notion that Russian President Vladimir Putin would extend his military operations beyond Ukraine into Europe. He labeled the idea of Putin marching through Europe as "absurd" and expressed doubt about the likelihood of Putin pursuing goals beyond his current objectives in Ukraine.
Timothy Ash
(Updated: )
