Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him a “war criminal” and dismissing Russia as “basically a gas station with a bunch of nuclear weapons.” The remarks were made during an interview with journalist Piers Morgan and later cited by the New York Post.
The interview aired on Fox Nation, where DeSantis, widely viewed as a potential Republican presidential contender, addressed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He criticized the incorporation of Crimea into Russia, while acknowledging that “there are many ethnic Russians in the region.”
“If I could snap my fingers, I would return the territory to Ukraine 100%. But the reality is that US intervention, in terms of weapons buildup and of course ground forces, would be a mistake,” DeSantis said.
He also suggested that Putin harbors hostility toward the United States.
“I think he has big ambitions. (…) But he doesn’t have the opportunity to realize his ambitions. He (Putin) is basically a gas station with a bunch of nuclear weapons,” the Florida governor stated.
At the same time, DeSantis reiterated his earlier skepticism about Washington’s approach to the conflict. He has previously criticized the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine, arguing that the fighting does not constitute a vital American national interest. “The territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” he said.
For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that China’s peace proposal could serve as a foundation for resolving the Ukrainian conflict, provided that Kiev and Western governments demonstrate readiness to engage with it.
