Mike Pompeo: U.S. must give Ukraine the weapons it needs to win

Former secretary of state criticizes Biden remarks, slow pace of supplies to Kyiv.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a Republican presidential prospect, addresses an audience at a periodic “Politics and Eggs” gathering at Saint Anselm College, in Manchester, N.H., Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) ** FILE ** more >

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that President Biden isn’t doing enough to assist Ukraine and convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that his monthslong invasion is not worth it anymore.

“They’ve been dribbling out these weapons too slow,” Mr. Pompeo said on “Fox & Friends.” “We should be providing them with everything they need.”

He also slammed Mr. Biden for warning about the “prospect of Armageddon” at a recent Democratic fundraiser, saying it was odd to openly compare Mr. Putin’s threats to the Kennedy era and the Cuban missile crisis.

Reckless, absolutely reckless,” Mr. Pompeo said. “Putin heard this, our allies and friends heard this.”

Mr. Pompeo, who appeared on Fox to promote a forthcoming book, echoed those who say Mr. Putin’s army is getting whipped by brave Ukrainian forces so the U.S. should support Kyiv with overwhelming weaponry to finish the job.

Russian missiles struck Kyiv and other major cities on Monday in the biggest round of attacks since the start of the war in February. Moscow targeted civilian gathering spots after being humiliated by major explosions on a critical bridge linking Crimea and Russia.

“I haven’t seen any evidence Putin is looking for an off-ramp,” Mr. Pompeo said. “We have to continue to provide Ukrainian people the tools they need.”

Mr. Pompeo led the State Department from early 2018 to the end of President Donald Trump’s term in January 2021.

The former secretary offered a bit of a contrast to Mr. Trump, who pressed for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia over the weekend.

“We must demand immediate negotiation of a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine, or we will end up in World War III and there will never be a war like this,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Arizona.

A former congressman, Mr. Pompeo is staying in the public eye and is seen as a potential presidential candidate.

Mr. Pompeo announced on Fox that he plans to release a book in January. Titled “Never Give an Inch,” it discusses the Trump administration’s successes and failures and outlines a roadmap for future presidents.

“We never apologized for America, and I’m deeply proud of that,” he said.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

3 comments

  1. “They’ve been dribbling out these weapons too slow,”

    Pompeo is right! Although a lot has been done to help Ukraine, MUCH more could and should be done. At least, a wide-ranging air defense system should already be in place. How many more people must die?
    In addition, the ball-and-chain on disallowing Ukraine to attack mafia land directly must be removed. Mafia land must get bombed and shelled day and night. It must get destroyed, once and for all.
    I know that the last two sentences are far-fetched fantasies, but enough is enough.

  2. Exactly… Biden is preventing us from getting long range weapons…. HE is the cause of a lot of this

  3. If someone doesn’t give a bat to someone being attacked by a bully with a shovel, that does not make them the cause of the bully’s actions.

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