Ron DeSantis says ‘impotence’ of Joe Biden administration emboldened Vladimir Putin

Image via Scott Powers.

Florida’s Governor continues to contend Russia was driven to invade Ukraine because of weakness in Washington.

Ron DeSantis, appearing at a news conference in Panama City Thursday, ascribed Russian adventurism to “impotence” in President Joe Biden’s administration in his latest commentary on Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “would probably not have done this if he thought that the United States was strong,” DeSantis asserted.

“But I think that he thinks that the United States is weak, because of the impotence of the Biden administration, and he’s doing some really bad stuff right now, and it’s sad to see,” DeSantis said.

He described Putin as “sitting on a bunch of gas and oil.”

“I mean, that’s all he has. His society’s really hollowed out,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis, who critics castigated as late to offer commentary on Putin’s invasion, has more recently dismissed the Russian leader as “an authoritarian gas station attendant,” noting Russia’s “legacy nuclear weapons” are among the few assets in his arsenal.

Denunciations of Putin notwithstanding, DeSantis raised eyebrows during an appearance in Tampa earlier this week. The Governor volunteered his opinion that the country of France would offer no resistance to a Russian ground invasion such as that in Ukraine.

DeSantis said Ukrainians were “willing to fight” and “go out there and ward off a Russian army,” before presenting a somewhat offensive contrast.

“A lot of other places around the world, they just fold the minute there’s any type of adversity. I mean, can you imagine, if he went into France, do you think they’d do anything to put up a fight? Probably not,” DeSantis suggested.

Critics noted France’s modern nuclear arsenal and NATO membership may give Russia pause, in addition to Germany and Poland being in between Russia and France.