Former Secretary of State says US doesn't do enough to stop Putin's aggression in 2014
Photo: Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Getty Images)
The United States missed the chance to stop the aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine back in 2014. Insufficient actions at that time led to the loss of a deterrent factor, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says during the Black Sea Security Forum.
The former Secretary of State noted that, in his opinion, the United States can no longer back away from Russia's war against Ukraine.
"It's not the case that you can say, 'You know, Godspeed, you're on your own.' This will continue to chase all of us who believe in basic human dignity, property rights, all the things, all the indicia of sovereign nationhood," former US Secretary of State emphasized.
At the same time, Pompeo said he regrets that the United States did not do more in 2014, when Russia first began its armed aggression on Ukrainian territory.
"I regret, right, I regret that there was not more done in 2014, that there was not more done in 2022, and that this deterrence was lost," a former US high-ranking official stressed.
In addition, Pompeo said that the task now is to restore that deterrence.
"I mean, I was adjacent to the Minsk conversations, right. People forget like well we were going to the negotiating table. We've been at the negotiating table an awful lot and there was no hammer. I get that. It was a different time, there was fighting along the line of control, but not the massive aggression that transpired on February 22," former US Secretary of State said.
At the same time, Pompeo noted that if one were to look at the documents from the discussions during the Minsk negotiations now, they would look almost identical to the conversations happening today.
"That must remind us all that when Vladimir Putin lays down his weapons for a moment, you can't go back to Russian gas. When Vladimir Putin lays down his weapons for a moment, there can't be life as it once was. It must be with a deep recognition that this could easily happen again," a former US high-ranking official emphasized.
Furthermore, according to Pompeo, next time it might not be in Ukraine.
"It may be on the northern flank. It could be Russians taking action somewhere else in the world, right? They still have troops on the ground in Syria, and Russians are in Venezuela. This is a global challenge presented by a righteous state who truly believes the way of the world in the West is not something they want to allow to exist," the former US Secretary of State concluded.
Trump irritated by Putin's actions
In recent days US President Donald Trump once again criticized Russian leader Putin. The reason is the delay in peace negotiations with Ukraine.
Commenting on the latest massive attacks against Ukraine, Trump also stated that the US is definitely considering imposing sanctions against Russia.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal wrote in early May that President Donald Trump is disappointed that he has not been able to quickly end the war in Ukraine. According to Trump, resolving it has turned out to be more difficult than he expected.
Moreover, the US President has privately told advisers that Putin does not want to stop the war and that both sides are allegedly refusing to compromise.
