During his "My Take," Thursday, "Varney & Co." host Stuart Varney reacted to Russian jets forcing down an American spy drone amid its war with Ukraine, arguing President Biden needs to show leadership, define what "winning" is, and give Ukraine what it needs.
STUART VARNEY: The video shows a clear provocation. Russian jets dumping fuel over an American spy drone. It was clearly a deliberate attack on our military. How do we respond?
Isn't that the dilemma we're in with the whole Ukraine war? How far should our response go?
Biden says we should do "whatever is needed."
US SLAPS NEW SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA OVER UKRAINE WAR, RAISES TARIFFS
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waded right into this. He says it's not a war, it's a "territorial dispute." Giving Ukraine jets and long-range missiles is not in America's vital interests. He wants peace talks.
That produced a thundering editorial in the Wall Street Journal: "DeSantis' first big mistake."
To the Journal, the governor is going against the Reagan doctrine of "peace through strength."
If the two Republican front-runners, that's DeSantis and Trump, both walk away from Ukraine, what does that tell the Russians and the Europeans? It doesn't exactly inspire confidence in American leadership.
If Biden does give Zelenskyy what he wants, and Ukraine does eventually beat back the Russians, at least half the Republican Party looks like it has abandoned a gallant ally in a life-and-death struggle.
The first Republican candidates' debate is in August. Right in the middle of the fighting season in Ukraine.
They're going into this as a divided party, and that gives the president an advantage.
My opinion. Biden should define "winning," and, when he's defined it, give Ukraine what it needs.
That would be leadership.
