A divide has emerged within the Republican field on how the US should handle Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response to a query earlier this year from then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Haley said US support for Ukraine was critical against an anti-American regime that is “attempting to brutally expand by force into a neighbouring pro-American country,” saying a Russian victory would only make countries like China and Iran “more aggressive.”

At the time, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has since entered the GOP primary race, argued that stopping the aggression wasn’t a vital US strategic interest, characterising the situation as a “territorial dispute”.

A number of fellow Republicans were critical of DeSantis’ initial remarks. Trump, who had called on European countries to share more of the financial burden of defending Ukraine, said DeSantis’ answers were “following what I am saying.” A day later, Haley said she agreed with Trump that “DeSantis is copying him,” writing in an op-ed that the characterisation of the war as a “territorial dispute” represented “weakness.”

Following those critiques, DeSantis said his earlier comments referenced ongoing fighting in the eastern Donbas region, as well as Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea. Ukraine’s borders are internationally recognised, including by the United Nations.

For months, Stand for America, a super PAC supportive of Haley, has been aiming to draw a contrast between the former South Carolina governor and DeSantis.

“While DeSantis changes his policy positions based on the mood of his donors and television hosts, Haley never backs down,” SFA Lead Strategist Mark Harris said in a release last month.

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On Saturday, a spokesman for Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting DeSantis, called Haley’s remark to WMUR “almost as bizarre as her aligning with woke Disney,” a reference to the former South Carolina governor’s critiques of DeSantis’ ongoing dispute with the entertainment giant, whose jobs she has said her home state “will happily accept” should it choose to leave Florida.

The US has been upping its military aid to Ukraine as Russia’s invasion enters its 16th month. In late May, President Joe Biden approved a new aid package that totals up to $US300 million and includes additional munitions for drones and an array of other weapons.

To date, the US has committed more than $US37.6 billion in weapons and other equipment to Ukraine since Russia attacked on February 24, 2022. This latest package will be done under presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons from its own stocks and quickly ship them to Ukraine, officials said.