Why Mitt Romney says US support of Ukraine is good for America

Ukrainian army fires a captured Russian tank T-80 at the Russian position in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on Nov. 22, 2022. Sen. Mitt Romney says if Americans say the United States should not spend money to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, they should probably say the U.S. shouldn't spend money on its own national defense either.

Ukrainian army fires a captured Russian tank T-80 at the Russian position in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on Nov. 22, 2022. Sen. Mitt Romney says if Americans say the United States should not spend money to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, they should probably say the U.S. shouldn't spend money on its own national defense either. (Ukrainian Photo Documentary via AP)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mitt Romney says if Americans say the United States should not spend money to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, they should probably say the U.S. shouldn't spend money on its own national defense either.

"And that makes no sense at all," the Utah Republican said in a social media post Thursday.

Romney said in the 3 ½-minute video that he is often asked why the war in Ukraine is an American interest and why supporting it is good for Americans.

"So when people say 'What does this do for America?' Well, why do we spend money on national defense? We could just take all that money and spend it here on ourselves," he said. "But we spend on national defense because we know that if we do so, it makes it more likely we'll be safe and prosperous and our lives will be spared."

In the video, Romney outlines the reasons he believes backing Ukraine is vital to the United States.

"I begin, of course, with just the humanitarian reality, we care of course about human life and the suffering that's going on in Ukraine," he said. "We're just appalled by the fact that Russia has invaded a peaceful, sovereign nation next door."

Continued American prosperity depends on peace, Romney said.

"We have better jobs and better incomes and better prospects for our future if the world is at peace. If the world is in conflict, things aren't good for us as well as for other people around the world," he said.

"But conflict makes us less well off, so a peaceful world makes us better off. It's good for Americans."

Romney said that if a country believes it can invade a neighbor without any response or reaction, it will happen again and again. Ultimately, he said, violence keeps spreading and "involves us and we end up being attacked ourselves."

Another reason to support Ukraine is because Russia is a geopolitical adversary, he said. Although the U.S. isn't at war with Russia, it is an opponent, and one that has "1,500 nuclear warheads aimed at us."

By supporting Ukraine, Romney said the U.S. is depleting and diminishing the Russian military.

"So this is a good thing for our national security and, by the way, Russia is also China's only real ally. And so if we're concerned about China, weakening Russia is a very good thing," he said.

Spending on Ukraine is also consistent with, and in the same category as, the U.S. spending on its national defense, he said.

"It is defending American interests, America's national security against adversaries that would threaten us," he said. "It is a way of weakening Russia's military, of weakening that China might potentially invade their neighbor, Taiwan."

If defense spending didn't include Ukraine, Romney said, it would put the U.S. in great jeopardy.

"So I just note, that if you don't think we should be spending on Ukraine, then you probably should say we shouldn't be spending on national defense," he said. "And that makes no sense at all."

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Dennis Romboy
Dennis Romboy is an editor and reporter for the Deseret News. He has covered a variety of beats over the years, including state and local government, social issues and courts. A Utah native, Romboy earned a degree in journalism from the University of Utah. He enjoys cycling, snowboarding and running.

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