Florida Governor and potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has reversed his stance on the Ukraine conflict. In an interview with Fox Nation, he clarified that his previous statement calling the conflict a “territorial dispute” was misconstrued and acknowledged that Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 was wrong. He also called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and expressed support for holding him accountable. Despite concerns from donors and some Republicans, DeSantis remains a leading contender in the polls for the presidency. He clarified that he does not believe Russia has a legitimate claim to annexed territories in Ukraine and would return them to Ukraine if possible, but does not support sending American troops to the region.
