DeSantis sidesteps question on whether he would push Zelensky to cede land

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a GOP 2024 White House candidate, sidestepped a question on Tuesday on whether as president he would push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cede land that Russia seized during its invasion.

“So what I would say is, the goal should be a sustainable, enduring peace in Europe, but one that does not reward aggression,” DeSantis said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper when asked whether he would push Zelensky to make land concessions in an effort to end the war.

“And there’s going to be different levers that you’re going to be able to pull. We will pull some levers against Russia,” he continued, noting his plan to be “much more aggressive” or energy and export policies, which he said has “been Putin’s lifeline.”

Zelensky has made clear that ceding any land to Russia is not an option, and his country recently launched a counteroffensive to retake lost land.

DeSantis has said he does not support escalating the United States’ involvement in the war. He also walked back comments he made describing the nature of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “territorial dispute.”

He later said, clarifying his earlier remarks, “If I could snap my fingers, I’d give it back to Ukraine 100 percent,” referring to the land in question.

DeSantis’s avoidance on the issue reflects a split in the GOP on support for Ukraine. While traditional GOP defense hawks largely support any funding Ukraine needs, the more conservative wing of the party has been critical of the billions of dollars in funding.

“So we’ll use the levers that we have, but the goal is going to be a sustainable peace that does not reward aggression,” DeSantis said on Tuesday.

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