Disaster for Ukraine as anti-Europe, 'Asia First' Vance becomes Trump's VP pick

Ex-US president Donald Trump on Monday (Jul 15) finally revealed the name of his running mate and the apparent heir of his America First movement—JD Vance. He is a politician with little political experience, with just two years in Congress under his belt. In a Trump 2.0 administration, his views on the world will have a great impact on the USA's foreign policy, especially as Trump will remain focused on 'fixing' a lot of 'broken' things at home. With elections approaching in November, people are now wondering what the Trump-Vance duo will look like in terms of foreign policy vis-à-vis Ukraine as the war drags on in its third year.

Vance vice presidency on Ukraine

Vance is one of the influential 'Asia First' Republican politicians. These politicians advocate an increased emphasis on US relations with Asian nations, the China threat and limited attention on Europe. On Ukraine, these politicians say the US should stop providing security blanket to other nations and reinforce defence at the chaotic southern border with Mexico. Vance has also urged USA's European allies to step up their support for Kyiv in the past.

'I don't care'

For instance, when the war first started in February 2022, Vance declared that he didn't really care what happened to Ukraine.

"I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another," he said. He has also advocated a foreign policy that "abandons" Europe.

Earlier this year, Vance spearheaded a Republican effort to kill off a Ukraine aid bill. The effort failed but Vance later said, "We were able to make it pretty clear to Europe and the rest of the world that America can’t write blank checks indefinitely.”

In an interview with Politico, Vance once also opposed sending military aid to Ukraine, saying, "How long is this expected to go on? How much is it expected to cost? And importantly, how are we actually supposed to produce the weapons necessary to support the Ukrainians?”

In February, he even cancelled a meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, saying, "I didn’t think I would learn anything new.”

In fact, he has thrashed European nations for not fulfilling their commitments to NATO defence spending even in the face of 'existential threats' to Europe from Russia.

Watch:US | Who is Usha Chilukur Vance, wife of Trump's Vice President pick JD Vance

“For three years, the Europeans have told us that Vladimir Putin is an existential threat to Europe. And for three years, they have failed to respond as if that were actually true,” he said, condemning Germany.

European officials are obviously alarmed now. One of the EU official was quoted by Politico as saying that it's a "disaster" for Ukraine that Vance has been selected by Trump as his running mate.

(With inputs from agencies)