WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance says Russia is an American adversary, but suggests it is counterproductive to approach Moscow as an enemy.
The Ohio senator also said Donald Trump is committed to NATO, the transatlantic military alliance seen as the bulwark preventing further Russian aggression in Europe, although the former president has vowed to “complete the process we have under my administration have begun, which is to fundamentally reevaluate NATO’s purpose and objectives.” mission.”
Vance made clear in a series of television interviews broadcast Sunday, nine days before the election, that Trump, if back in the White House, would urge European members to spend more on defense and that their government would work towards a rapid dismantling of Moscow’s government. The war in Ukraine began in February 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops across the border.
“We are not at war with him, and I don’t want to be at war with Vladimir Putin’s Russia,” Vance said when asked if Russia is an enemy during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Vance said: “We have to be careful about the language we use in international diplomacy. We can obviously recognize that we have conflicting interests with Russia.”
U.S. officials confirmed last week that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for training before possibly deploying to Ukraine. U.S. officials say Russia has stepped up a disinformation campaign aimed at sowing distrust in the results of the Nov. 5 U.S. election.
Officials confirmed Friday Moscow’s role in creating a video that appears to show the destruction of ballots in Pennsylvania, in what was the latest effort linked to Russia to spread false information on social media.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has argued that Trump is too cozy with Putin and that Trump’s return to the White House would be disastrous for Ukraine and America’s European allies.
Vance was cautious in supporting further sanctions on Russia, saying the Biden administration’s use of the tool for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been as effective as a “wet firework.”
“I don’t think we should overreact to anything. What we need to do is encourage our fellow Americans to be careful,” Vance told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Don’t trust everything you see on social media. And of course we have to push back where necessary. But the big question is: what is an appropriate response to a country making videos on social media? I’m not going to make a promise to sit here.”
Trump prides himself on having an effective relationship with Putin when Trump was in power. The former president has praised the Russian leader, proposed cutting U.S. funding for Ukraine and repeatedly criticized NATO.
The former president has said he will not defend NATO members who fail to meet defense spending targets, warning he would “encourage” Russia “to do whatever they want” with alliance countries whom he considered ‘delinquent’.
Vance underscored that a Trump administration would continue to support NATO, but would lean on Europe to increase defense spending.
NATO announced in June that a record 23 of its 32 member states met the alliance’s defense spending target of 2% of GDP this year. That’s a nearly fourfold increase from 2021, when only six countries reached the target.
“Of course we are going to fulfill our NATO obligations,” Vance said. “But I think it’s important… that we recognize that NATO is not just a welfare client. It has to be a real alliance.”
In the wide-ranging interviews, including CNN’s “State of the Union,” Vance also downplayed recent comments from Trump about ending the federal income tax.
Trump said in a Fox News appearance last week: “There is a way, if what I plan to do comes true” to end it. He told podcaster Joe Rogan on Friday that he was serious about replacing the income tax by raising rates.
Trump has also promised to end taxes on tips, Social Security and overtime pay if he is elected.
“He’s talking ambitiously about something that he himself thinks is less important than cutting taxes on tips,” Vance said of Trump’s call to eliminate the federal income tax.
