JD Vance urges US to focus on itself and close allies instead of Ukraine

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Sunday that the U.S. should focus more on itself and its closest allies, such as Israel, instead of sending more aid to Ukraine.

Vance has been opposed to sending additional aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia, writing in a New York Times op-ed on Friday that more funding for the embattled nation will not change the outcome of the war, which he believes Ukraine can’t win. He said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the U.S. needs to focus on rebuilding its industrial base instead.

“Well, I think foreign policy is not a nursery rhyme, and it should serve as a wake-up call, but it should serve as a wake-up call that we have to rebuild our own industrial base,” he said.

“Let’s take another weapon system that’s really important. The Patriot interceptor system definitely, almost definitely saved a lot of Israeli lives last night. The Ukrainians want thousands of those per year. Do you know how many we manufacture in a year Jake? 550,” he added.

He said that the U.S. does not have the capacity to support Israel, Ukraine and itself.

“We cannot possibly — I’ve repeated this for years now. We cannot possibly support Ukraine and Israel and our own defense needs in the way that these guys demand,” he said, adding that the U.S. should focus on supporting Israel because it is a closer ally in line with more of the U.S.’s national security interests.

He said that approving the supplemental aid request to Israel and Ukraine will actually harm Israel.

“But if we pass the Ukraine and Israel supplemental and send a ton of weapons to Ukraine that the Israelis need, we’re actually weakening Israel in the name of helping them. It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.