DeSantis calls Putin a war criminal

During his interview with UK journalist Piers Morgan, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis clarified comments he previously made when he referred to the Russia-Ukraine war as a “territorial dispute” by saying that Putin is a “war criminal.”

DeSantis met resistance from several Republicans over his comments, including Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and John Cornyn of Texas.  Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said DeSantis was “naïve.”

DeSantis said during his interview with Morgan that Putin was “a gas station with a bunch of nuclear weapons.”  

“I think [Putin’s] hostile to the United States, but I think the thing that we’ve seen is he doesn’t have the conventional capability to realize his ambitions,” DeSantis said, according to Fox News. “And so, he’s basically a gas station with a bunch of nuclear weapons and one of the things we could be doing better is utilizing our own energy resources in the U.S.”

DeSantis’s remark was similar to a comment made by former Republican Presidential nominee John McCain, who said in 2014 that “Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.”

DeSantis also dismissed any criticism against him for saying he would not intervene should Trump be charged with paying “hush money” to former adult movie star Stormy Daniels.

“I’ve got real issues I’ve got to deal with here in the state of Florida,” DeSantis told the media earlier on in the week. “We’re not getting involved in it in any way.”