Ukraine invites Ron DeSantis after Florida governor calls war with Russia ‘territorial dispute’

The spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs invited Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to visit the country after the prospective presidential candidate labeled its war against Russia a “territorial dispute.”

Oleg Nikolenko tweeted the invitations after Mr DeSantis had sent his response to Fox News host Tucker Carlson and called upon the governor’s service in the US Navy.

“We are sure that as a former military officer deployed to a combat zone, Governor @RonDeSantisFL knows the difference between a ‘dispute’ and war. We invite him to visit Ukraine to get a deeper understanding of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the threats it poses to US interests,” he said.

Mr DeSantis is widely expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president later this year. He is currently traveling the country to promote his book The Courage to be Free.

As part of this tease, Mr DeSantis responded to a questionnaire from Mr Carlson, the popular Fox News host.

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests – securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness within our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural, and military power of the Chinese Communist Party – becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” he said.