Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dramatically changed his rhetoric about the war in Ukraine and called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal who should be held accountable, writes CNN..

" The US does not recognize the International Criminal Court. but I think he should be held accountable,” he said..

DeSantis has previously called the war a " These statements drew criticism from the majority in the Republican Party, of which he is a spokesman..

“Obviously Russia invaded last year – it was wrong. They invaded and took over Crimea in 2014 – that was also wrong,” DeSantis said..

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“If I could do it just by snapping my fingers, I would return 100% of these territories to Ukraine,” he added..

At the same time, he noted that he considers the increase in weapons to Kyiv an escalation, and the possibility of the participation of American ground forces in the war is a mistake..

" However, Russia made a mistake when it invaded. They made a mistake when they took Crimea,” he repeated..

In the end, DeSantis expressed confidence that Ukraine would win the war..

“I don’t think it will end with Putin’s victory. I don't think the Ukrainian government will be overthrown by him, and I think that's a good thing,"

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DeSantis has yet to formally announce his intention to run for President of the United States in 2024. However, Florida's governor recently visited several states that will play a key role in his nomination process.. DeSantis is considered the main rival of former US President Donald Trump, who has long sympathized with Vladimir Putin and opposes the Biden administration's approach to supporting Ukraine..

Trump believes that Ukraine and Russia should start negotiations and would not mind allowing Moscow to occupy part of Ukraine in exchange for a settlement.

After the statements of Ron DeSantis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine invited him to Ukraine so that he could assess the situation with his own eyes.

Former US Vice President and possible Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence said that the US cannot stop supporting Ukraine, otherwise they themselves will be involved in the war if it touches NATO..