US Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Ukraine must be victorious over Russia. Pompeo sought to assuage fears that a Trump presidency would hurt Ukraine.
February 20, 2024
Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick, a representative from Pennsylvania, and Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State under former President Donald Trump, said Monday that Ukraine can be optimistic about US assistance, despite the $60 billion in US military aid for Ukraine currently being stalled in Congress.
“I can assure you that Ukraine will get the assistance it needs. This is not just Ukraine’s fight, but it’s the world’s fight. Ukraine is on the front lines of democracy,” Fitzpatrick said at an event organized by the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv on Monday.
While the US Senate passed a bipartisan funding measure that included funding for Ukraine, Israel, and other US allies on Feb. 13, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called a recess, leaving the aid package for Ukraine without consideration until the House reconvenes on Feb. 28.
US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was critical of Johnson’s decision to hold a recess before approving Ukraine aid, directly tying the recent fall of the Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka to Congress’s inability to get crucial ammunition to Ukrainians at the front lines.
Fitzpatrick said that he will have a conversation with Johnson on Feb. 26 and will urge the Speaker to support Ukraine.
“The question is how quickly it can come, and we understand the time sensitivity of this,” he said.
Fitzpatrick said that Republican leaders must communicate to their voters the importance of continuing to aid Ukraine’s defense as Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches the beginning of its third year.
Meanwhile, Pompeo said that were former President Donald Trump reelected this year, it would not necessarily mean the diminishment of US support for Ukraine.
“Don’t let the media deceive you. Let the reality set in. Let the reality of the Trump administration and its policy towards Ukraine suggest to you what the second Trump administration looks like,” Pompeo said.
“Which administration was the first administration to provide defensive weapons systems to this country? It was not the Obama administration. Indeed, it was the Obama administration that was unable to deter Vladimir Putin from taking a fifth of your country. It was the Trump administration that for four years deterred Vladimir Putin,” Pompeo said.
Pompeo said that in the conversation about Russia’s war against Ukraine, politicians rarely talk about victory.
“We collectively must win. We have to win. We have to win in a way that decisively proves that our model, the model of the West, the model of the people of Ukraine, the model of the people of Europe, the model of the people of America, and those who believe in human dignity and property rights, and all of the things that have made America so successful for 250 years, we have to demonstrate that that’s the victorious model,” he said.
Pompeo and Fitzpatrick urged Ukrainian officials to continue implementing reforms that would pave the way for membership in the NATO defensive alliance and to the EU.
“My advice would be to be vigilant on enacting those reforms, even when you have to fight a battle against Russia, which we will help you win, but to do your part as civil servants, civil societies, to call out corruption and organize and demand reforms be made because ultimately, that’s what’s going to be the game-changer for Ukraine to ultimately become part of the West,” Fitzpatrick said.
He said that the US intends to lead a new Marshall Plan directed towards Ukraine’s recovery at the end of the war.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/28355
They are quite upbeat with the situation in Washington and even Ukraine. I admit that I don’t understand the situation with Trump. If he does have more positive plans for Ukraine, then this entire action in Congress makes no sense whatsoever. If he does plan on helping to defeat the despicable war criminals and subhumans in mafia land, then this is a weird way to show it. He should start using another method because this one is costing Ukrainian lives and territory.
Red, what’s your opinion?
WSJ posted an article entitled No One Wants Ukraine To Win. I believe there is more than a smattering of truth in this. I can’t access the article, as it is behind a paywall.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/neither-trump-nor-biden-want-ukraine-to-win-russia-war-military-aid-a2c77c02
Speaking as a politician, not myself. The United States has no intention to knock out RuSSia and compromise all cooperation. It’s not my view, but hopefully you guys can understand how global politics work.
On another issue I see Saint HIMARS nailed a training camp in Donetsk oblast. Initial reports claim 65 dead orcs and possibly another 200 well decorated by dangling limbs. Slava Ukraini!!!
Why do orcs need a training camp? Their job is to die for tsar putler. You don’t need training for that.
Wonderful!
To be truthful, I’s hard for me to establish which is the truth; everyone is a spineless coward – hence, don’t want Ukraine to win, or incompetent – not being able to help Ukraine to win.
Biden has never said he wants Ukraine to win, which is despicable. We all know if this results a frozen conflict, the orcs will only come back in another couple of years, with some other ridiculous excuse to invade.
Yes, it’s all so obvious. And this is why the behavior of the leaders of the so-called free world is so baffling. It’s like they know that there can ever be a real peace with mafia land, but no one wants to touch the hot iron that means destroying it. They’d rather leave it up to their children to do so, some time on down the road.
“Biden has never said he wants Ukraine to win”
That’s not true. President Biden has said quite plainly, “We want Ukraine to achieve victory in the war.”
That quote was even posted on this site.
You come here to defend Ukraine, or you only come here to defend the Democrats and Biden?
He has no connection to Ukraine except he thinks Trump hates Ukraine. Its ok though right? Ukraine needs everyone….I just wish the hard Left partisans like Larry would be that civilized and tolerant. He will defend Bidenov for anything, including being president when putin went all-in. I guess that was Trump’s fault too…..
I’ve told you my connection to Ukraine twice already.
I will defend anyone – left or right – against lies.
Mike,
Someone posted something that was factually incorrect, so I posted a correction. What’s wrong with that?
I think its campaign season and there is shame on both sides for abusing Ukraine. Now that Biden is willing to meet with Johnson lets hope Biden makes some concessions on the border and remove both issues from the campaign season. As a separate issue 90% of Republicans support Ukraine so that is what I expect the vote to reflect. But, I also think its too late for Republicans to remove the egg on their faces before the elections and they will lose their majority in the House. I expect the ammo to return in mid March and its possible it will be more than the $60B on the table. Thanks for the question.
Here, I fully agree with you, Red. Both sides have put shame on themselves. The sadness about this is that there are an X amount of additional deaths as a result of our cheap, dirty politics and a good measure of cowardice.
Whatever. We are embarrassed as the world’s #1 power. All evil regimes around the world noticed our internal weakness. If Biden has nothing to hide why is he so hezitant on supplying Ukraine with spare ammo? I think both Trump and Biden are playing a foul game.
I agree. Both are shitty politicians. Both should be polishing shoes instead.
“lets hope Biden makes some concessions on the border”
The Democrats made lots of concessions on the border to get the Senate agreement, but then Trump killed it.
“remove both issues from the campaign season”
I can’t see that happening. Even if you don’t think Trump is a Russian asset, and you think it’s just an incredible coincidence that in 2016 Russia presented Paul Manafort with a plan in which Russia would help Trump get elected in exchange for weakening NATO and undermining the U.S. stance in favor of Ukraine, and subsequently Russia *did* work to help Trump get elected (proven by the Republican-dominated Senate Intelligence Committee), and Trump *is* doing what they asked for, we know that Trump wants to keep the border as a problem. He knows that his best chance of staying out of jail for his crimes (laid out in the 91 indictments) is to get elected and tell the Justice Department to kill the cases against him. And he believes that keeping the border as an open issue will keep his base riled up and help his chances of getting back in office.
“I expect the ammo to return in mid March”
I hope you’re right; the discharge petition is the best way to get this past the intransigent MAGAt Republicans.