Former Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that the United States could find itself sending military troops to fight Vladimir Putin's forces if Ukraine loses its war against Russia.
Pence made the comments during an appearance on radio's Hugh Hewitt Show, where he said that "what's going on in Ukraine right now is not just war, it's evil."
The GOP presidential candidate has been outspoken in his support of Ukraine throughout the war that Russia's president began in February 2022. Last week, he made a surprise visit to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and toured sites in the country hit by Russian attacks.
"I really left more resolved than ever that it is in our national interest to give the Ukrainian military the support they need to fight and to repel this Russian invasion," Pence told Hewitt, speaking about his trip.
He added, "I have no doubt that if Vladimir Putin overran Ukraine, it would not be too long, Hugh, before the Russian military crossed a border where we would have to send our fighting men and women to fight against them."
Newsweek reached out to a Pence spokesperson via email for comment.
The former vice president, who announced his 2024 presidential campaign in early June, said he draws inspiration for his support for Ukraine from former President Ronald Reagan.
"I'm a guy who believes in that old Reagan doctrine. If you're willing to fight the enemies in the United States on your soil, we'll give you the means to fight them there so our men and women in uniform don't have to fight them," Pence said. "And I'm going to continue to be a voice for that in this campaign and all across this country."
Pence's Ukraine support contrasts with the stance taken by Donald Trump, whom Pence served under as vice president. During the early months of the war, Trump made public comments about Putin that were complimentary, though he never condoned the invasion of Ukraine.
During a town hall with CNN in May, Trump would not say who thought should win the conflict, instead stating that he wanted "everybody to stop dying." The former president also would not commit to providing aid to Ukraine should he win the White House in 2024.
"We're giving away so much equipment, we don't have ammunition for ourselves right now," Trump said at the town hall. "We don't have ammunition for ourselves, we're giving away so much."
