GOP vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance delivered his America First message to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Wednesday night.
“If this country is going to thrive, our leaders have to remember that America is a nation, and its citizens deserve leaders who put its interest first," Vance told delegates.
Vance did not mention U.S. military aid to Ukraine. But the BBC reported this week that "Days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Vance, (now a U.S. Senator from Ohio,) told a podcast he, "Doesn’t really care what happens in Ukraine, one way or the other.'" The BBC says, "Vance also played a key role in delaying a $60 billion dollar military aid package from Washington that finally passed a few months ago."
That track record worries some Ukraine citizens — and their supporters here. Milwaukee area resident Halyna Salapata is president of Wisconsin Ukrainians, a non-profit that sends medical supplies to Ukraine.
But Salapata says past military aid has helped save her native country, and should not get slowed down.
“The faster the aid arrives to Ukraine, the sooner we’ll win. And that’s what we need. We do need to win in Ukraine. Otherwise, Putin will not stop in Ukraine," Salapata says.
Salapata believes Russian leader Vladimir Putin would go on to invade other European countries, and even inspire other powerful leaders to try to invade smaller neighbors.
Salapata added on e-mail Thursday: "I understand that many Americans want to focus on our domestic issues. However, the Kremlin is pushing us to manage both domestic and international challenges at the same time."
Kenosha resident Anastasia Rab is a board member of Razom for Ukraine, an advocacy group. She promises her organization and others will try to reach out to Vance during the final three and a half months of the presidential campaign.
“We’re also kind of, you know, hopeful that his views will evolve, now that he’s been elevated to the top of the Republican Party. We know that when someone assumes that position of high power, they become privy to important information they might not have been aware of before," Rab tells WUWM.
Another spokesperson for Razom texted WUWM late Wednesday that "Vance’s convention speech struck a unifying tone, and the group hopes this pragmatic approach, which recognizes the salience of Ukraine’s cause to key parts of the Republican base, would translate to a Trump White House policy.”
President Joe Biden has made clear his support for Ukraine and backed it up with billions in military spending.
