Former President George W. Bush pushed back on Republican criticism on U.S. funding going to Ukraine on the anniversary of the eastern European nation’s war with Russia.
While speaking at a George W. Bush Presidential Center event on the 20th anniversary of President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., the former president fired back on GOP criticism of funding going to Ukraine amid the war.
Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, the moderator of the discussion with former Tanzanian President Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, asked Bush for his message to U.S. leaders and critics of American intervention in Africa with AIDS and the Ukraine War.
"I think we’re a big enough nation to do more than one thing," Bush said. "And continuing to fight against AIDS on the continent of Africa and supporting the Ukrainian freedom fighters is not going to constrain our capacity to help our own citizens."