Ohio has one of the largest populations of Ukrainian immigrants in the United States. JD Vance, a Republican senator from the state, doesn't seem to really care. The Conservative lawmaker has regularly pushed pro-Russian talking points since the war between the two countries began.
This weekend, Vance argued that Ukraine will need to give up some of its territory to Russia and that prominent Ukrainians are pocketing the aid money sent by the US. The comments angered many people, including some members of the senator's party. North Carolina lawmaker Thom Tillis came out strongly against his fellow Republican.
Vance said over the weekend, "We know that a number of people have gotten rich in Ukraine, and … I think it’s naivety if you don’t think they’ve gotten rich with some of our money."
Tillis said of Vance's words, "If you’re talking about giving money to Ukrainian ministers — total and unmitigated bull‑‑‑‑. Not productive conversation … not real happy about it."
When asked about the response from Tillis, Vance responded, "Well, it’s never good to have Thom Tillis peeved at us. But with all due respect to Thom, he’s not living in reality. There is no plausible pathway to the end of the war where Ukraine goes back to 1991 or 2014. It just isn’t … that’s not a desirable thing; it’s not a good thing."