Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko criticised Mr DeSantis's comments and tweeted his invitation to the Republican governor on Tuesday. "We are sure that as a former military officer deployed to a combat zone, Governor Ron DeSantis knows the difference between a 'dispute' and war," Mr Nikolenko said. "We invite him to visit Ukraine to get a deeper understanding of Russia's full-scale invasion and the threats it poses to US interests." While studying law at Harvard University, Mr DeSantis was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy and was assigned to its legal arm, the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps.เว็บยูฟ่า His service as a JAG officer included working with detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, as well as an assignment as a legal adviser for elite US Navy Seals deployed to Iraq. Many Republicans, including the party's senior leadership in the Senate, have long said defending Ukraine is in the best interests of the US. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said Mr DeSantis' comments displayed "a misunderstanding of the situation" on the part of the governor. "This is not a territorial conflict, it's a war of aggression. To say it doesn't matter is to say war crimes don't matter," Mr Graham said. Former Vice-President Mike Pence has also called for the US to increase its support.