Excerpts of the speech to a Republican National Committee retreat in New Orleans, which were received by reporters, showed that Pence split even further from former President Donald Trump, who said he "got along great" with Putin, at a time when the Russian leader is waging war on Ukraine.
“To those who argue that NATO expansion is somehow responsible for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ask yourself: Where would our friends in Eastern Europe be today if they were not in NATO?" Pence is expected to say. "Where would Russian tanks be today if NATO had not expanded the borders of freedom? There is no room in this party for apologists for Putin. There is only room for champions of freedom."
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High-profile figures in the GOP other than Trump, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have faced criticism within the party for remarks some view as being too compassionate to Putin, according to The Hill. Pompeo called Putin a "talented statesman" with "lots of gifts," while Carlson questioned why U.S. residents should hate Putin.
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Pence, seen as a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has been quarreling with Trump in the year since the former Vice President refused to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. On Feb. 18, he said he doesn't know if he and Trump "will ever see eye to eye" regarding Jan. 6, when President Joe Biden's victory was certified, calling it a "tragic day."
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The White House expressed support for Pence cooperating with the Jan. 6 House Select Committee after Pence aides provided testimony and documents. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that Biden "believes that anyone who was asked should participate in the process of getting to the bottom of what happened on Jan. 6."
Trump said in a Friday interview that even though he considered Putin a friend, he once told him the United States would "hit" Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine on his watch. He claimed Russia did not invade Ukraine in the last four years "because he knew he couldn't."
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"The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he's smart, but the real problem is that our leaders are dumb," Trump said to the crowd in an address at the Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend.
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Trump is expected to address donors at the retreat on Saturday night.
A significant portion of Pence's remarks focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He told the donors he has been "deeply inspired" by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and he criticized some of President Biden's foreign policy decisions, including the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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