Ukraine largely absent from Republican midterm convention stage, but party members weigh in offstage

As the U.S. Republican Party convened for its first-ever national midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 9-10, neither U.S. President Donald Trump nor Vice President JD Vance made Russia's war against Ukraine a significant part of their convention appearances.

But Russia's war against Ukraine still mattered to many of the Republican lawmakers, activists, and voters who spoke to the Kyiv Independent in Dallas. Their views ranged from calls to send more U.S. weapons to demands that the U.S. end its support for Ukraine fully.

Louisiana state Senator Michael "Big Mike" Fesi told the Kyiv Independent that foreign policy becomes harder to address during an election cycle.

Photo: Joel Angel Juárez/For The Washington Post via Getty Images