Nikki Haley: Winning Ukraine War is a Must, Losing Risks World War.

Why Nikki Haley Believes the US Must Back Ukraine

Former United Nations ambassador and governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, has argued that the United States has a national security interest in supporting Ukraine until Russia withdraws from the country. During a recent CNN town hall, Haley contrasted herself with two of the GOP front-runners, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, accusing them of being “too trustful” of Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.

“This is bigger than Ukraine. This is a war about freedom, and it’s one we have to win,” Haley said when asked why the war between Russia and Ukraine “should matter to Americans.”

Haley believes that ensuring Ukraine beats back the Russian invasion is about deterrence and keeping a stable world order. She argues that preventing war is the key, and the way to do that is not by giving cash to Ukraine or putting troops on the ground, but by getting with allies and providing them with the equipment and ammunition to win.

“When China said they were going to take Hong Kong, they did it. Russia said they were going to invade Ukraine, we watched that happen. China says Taiwan is next, we better believe them. Russia said Poland and the Baltics are next, if that happens we are looking at a world war,” Haley said. “This is about preventing war…”

Responding to a prompt by CNN anchor Jake Tapper, Haley launched into an attack on Trump and DeSantis over their statements on the war in Ukraine.

“They’re too trustful. You can’t be trustful of a regime that goes in and tries to take away people’s freedoms,” Haley said.

Trump gave his thoughts on the war in Ukraine during a recent CNN town hall. The former president said that he would “have that war settled in one day” if elected. When asked if he wanted Ukraine to win the war, he responded, “I don’t think in terms of winning and losing. I think in terms of getting it settled so we stop killing all these people.”

DeSantis, in his statement to Tucker Carlson, argued the United States should stop providing “blank check” funding to Ukraine without more clearly-defined goals in trying to end the war.

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests … becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis said. “The Biden administration’s virtual ‘blank check’ funding of this conflict for ‘as long as it takes,’ without any defined objectives or accountability, distracts from our country’s most pressing challenges.”

The Bottom Line

For Haley, supporting Ukraine is about more than just Ukraine. It’s about preventing war and keeping a stable world order. While Trump and DeSantis may have different views on the matter, Haley believes that the US must back Ukraine until Russia withdraws from the country.

• Key Takeaway: Nikki Haley argues that the US has a national security interest in supporting Ukraine until Russia withdraws from the country. She believes that preventing war is the key, and the way to do that is by getting with allies and providing them with the equipment and ammunition to win.