POMPEO: America’s Strong Stance on Russia Picks Up Where Trump 1.0 Left Off

President Trump is showing our adversaries what real American leadership looks like – and not a moment too soon.

His announcement yesterday that America and our NATO allies will be sending new weapons to Ukraine and proposing harsh new economic measures to pressure Russia to end its war on Ukraine is an important step in the right direction. President Trump gave Vladamir Putin every chance to make peace; but as Trump demonstrated with his recent strikes on Iran, his patience stretches only so far.

This is a continuation of the “peace-through-strength” policies we pursued during my time as CIA Director and as Secretary of State in the first Trump Administration – measures that made America stronger and more prosperous, put the bad guys on their heels, and kept our troops out of harm’s way.

People often forget that the policies of the first Trump Administration were extremely effective in containing Putin and imposed real costs for his occupation of Crimea and territories in Eastern Ukraine (land that was invaded and illegally seized under President Obama). We placed severe sanctions and tariffs on Putin in the first term and used these tools as leverage against the Kremlin to constrain their actions and protect our interests in Europe and beyond.

President Trump has often said that Putin never would have invaded Ukraine on his watch. It’s always difficult to prove a counterfactual proposition, but what is certain is that Putin did not invade Ukraine during the first Trump Administration, and he did invade under Obama in 2014 and Biden in 2022. In both cases, Putin correctly gambled that those Administrations were unwilling to exercise American power and that warnings not to invade would not be backed up with hard power.

This failure in deterrence was devastating to American credibility. But with President Trump’s bold strikes against Iran, he is restoring that vital asset. By holding the line against Putin and making it clear that continuing his war on Ukraine will be devastating to his interests, we will build on that achievement and send a clear message to our adversaries throughout the world: Do not mess with us. 

Some have questioned why it’s in America’s interests to get involved in this war. Why send weapons to Ukraine when we have potholes to fill at home? I’ve always been clear – global leadership has costs, and we need to be prepared to defend those costs to the American people. Military preeminence is extremely costly. Protecting our economic and geopolitical interests requires significant investments – and in cases where we need to exercise hard power, it’s not without risk.

But the benefits that accrue to us from exercising this leadership role are incalculable. They ensure that we can continue to benefit from the international economic architecture that has delivered unprecedented prosperity, and that our country and the allies we rely upon remain secure. A land war in Europe threatens these hard-won gains; and allowing the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty to continue is an invitation to bad actors everywhere.

There’s a reason why China has been Russia’s indispensable partner in this war – providing funding, materiel, markets for discounted oil and sanctioned goods, and directing North Korea to send soldiers to fight and die on behalf of Russia. China knows that a Ukrainian victory would be a win for the West, an outcome he has a deep interest in preventing. If the U.S. and our allies allow Russia to claim victory in this illegal invasion of a sovereign state, we will flash a giant green light for China to cause mischief in the Pacific and further undermine American interests – including a possible invasion of Taiwan.

President Trump recognizes this, and he knows when it’s time to say enough is enough. It’s why his policies of deterrence were successful in his first term. It’s why he took decisive action against Iran’s nuclear program last month. Now it’s time to cement those gains by taking a firm line against the Kremlin – and sticking to it.