Mr. Vance, a Republican, is the junior senator from Ohio.
“President Biden wants the world to believe that the biggest obstacle facing Ukraine is Republicans and our lack of commitment to the global community. This is wrong.
Ukraine’s challenge is not the G.O.P.; it’s math. Ukraine needs more soldiers than it can field, even with draconian conscription policies. And it needs more matériel than the United States can provide. This reality must inform any future Ukraine policy, from further congressional aid to the diplomatic course set by the president.
The Biden administration has applied increasing pressure on Republicans to pass a supplemental aid package of more than $60 billion to Ukraine. I voted against this package in the Senate and remain opposed to virtually any proposal for the United States to continue funding this war. Mr. Biden has failed to articulate even basic facts about what Ukraine needs and how this aid will change the reality on the ground.
The most fundamental question: How much does Ukraine need and how much can we actually provide? Mr. Biden suggests that a $60 billion supplemental means the difference between victory and defeat in a major war between Russia and Ukraine. That is also wrong. $60 billion is a fraction of what it would take to turn the tide in Ukraine’s favor. But this is not just a matter of dollars. Fundamentally, we lack the capacity to manufacture the amount of weapons Ukraine needs us to supply to win the war.”
David Lindsay: Such hogwash. I recommend the comments, which show patriotism, and calculus over math. Leadership over cringe-worthy defeatism. Here are the two top comments:
Dear Senator Vance. I could not disagree with you more. Who am I? A retired physician, former Air Force Officer who deployed with NATO at the end of the Cold War and during Desert Storm. First, Russia is not our friend. Their goal continues to be the degradation of our military, economic and political power. They were and are still a totalitarian country that leads by murder , imprisonment and force. Period. Second, our reduced manufacturing capability that is actively damaging our national security, is not a reason to stop supplying munitions to a country invaded by Russia who does not want to be occupied by a totalitarian army. Rather it is a reason to have industrial policies to enhance our ability to produce such material. I do not recall you advocating for any legislation that would improve our manufacturing of munitions, ships and other defense materials. Third, one never negotiates from a position of weakness. Starving the Ukraine of ammunition and then claiming we can successfully negotiate with Putin is laughable. He wants the whole country and has said so. In fact, he wants the previous Soviet Union boundaries. Shall we give up Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and the rest of eastern Europe next? Finally, history shows that appeasing an aggressor never resolves an issue. Rather it encourages more aggression. I suggest you go to Kyiv. Tour the damage. See what Putin has done. These people want freedom. You need to reflect on what is worth fighting for.
DL: Of course we and Europe can outpend Russia. The Russian ecomomy is roughly the size of the economy of Tennessee. 1.8 trillion.
And: from Google: “Russia’s economy is slightly larger than Brazil’s, but much smaller than California’s ($3.4 trillion) or Texas’ ($2 trillion). In 2021, Russia’s economic output, or gross domestic product (GDP), was less than $1.8 trillion, while the United States’ GDP was $23.3 trillion. As of 2023, the USA’s GDP is $26.9 trillion, while Russia’s is $2.1 trillion.”
InconvenientNews.Net 
So according to Senator Vance, we should just give up on Ukraine and cede it to a despot that violated their sovereignty? Strong Neville Chamberlain vibes and I am thankful as an American that people like him were not in charge in 1941. The world is a better place when we support other democracies.