Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday highlighted sharp variations along with his former boss, rejecting ex-President Donald Trump‘s stances on the debt ceiling and Ukraine whereas stoking extra hypothesis about his 2024 presidential ambitions.

“When it comes to the debt ceiling, failure will not be an choice,” Pence mentioned on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “We cannot settle for default, we won’t decrease the impression that may have on American households and American credibility on the planet.”

Pence’s remarks got here in response to a query about Trump’s current call for Republicans to let the U.S. default on its debt if Democrats is not going to agree to “large” spending cuts. The White House and congressional leaders are in deep negotiations to forestall a default by early June, which is when the federal government may run out of cash to pay its payments.

The former vp additionally accused Trump and President Joe Biden of holding “an identical” spending-heavy fiscal coverage views, even as he referred to as to make everlasting the “Trump-Pence tax cuts” of 2017.

But when he was requested about whether or not protection spending cuts might be a part of a plan to return to “fiscal solvency,” Pence balked.

“At a time when China is actually floating a brand new battleship each month and persevering with navy provocations throughout the Asia-Pacific and Russia’s waging an unprovoked conflict in japanese Europe, the very last thing we ought to be doing is slicing protection spending,” Pence mentioned.

Pence is overtly weighing a marketing campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and his remarks Wednesday morning — delivered from the important thing main state of New Hampshire, the place he was set to seem at a number of occasions this week — provided extra hints about his plans.

“We’ll let our intentions be identified, I’m assured, earlier than the tip of June,” Pence mentioned of his attainable presidential marketing campaign announcement. “The purpose I got here right here to New Hampshire partly is as a result of if you’re in New Hampshire, it looks as if you get slightly bit extra consideration if you’re speaking about issues that matter.”

Trump is at the moment the clear polling favourite within the Republican main subject, even when together with figures like Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is anticipated to mount a aggressive presidential bid within the coming weeks.

Pence reaffirmed his view that there can be “better choices” than Trump for president in 2024, earlier than rattling off a variety of his coverage disagreements with the frontrunner.

“The [former] president and I’ve a distinction by way of American management on the planet. I feel we’d like to lean in and assist the Ukrainian navy and repel the Russian invasion. I feel that is in our curiosity and the curiosity of the free world,” Pence mentioned.

Trump has referred to as for an instantaneous finish to the battle in Ukraine, which started when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion into the neighboring nation. Trump, who previously has praised Putin, has provided few particulars about how that peace might be achieved. In a current CNN city corridor, Trump wouldn’t say which nation he thought ought to win the conflict, and refused to say if he thought Putin was a conflict felony.

Pence mentioned that backing Ukraine “additionally sends a decisive message to China with their navy provocations.”

On overseas coverage and home points, the U.S. has “acquired to demand management that may stand agency and obtain these items,” Pence mentioned, earlier than touting his prolonged report in politics. “I do know what can get finished.”