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Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russian President Vladimir Putin will need to face a “bigger stick” before he is willing to agree to end the war in Ukraine, casting doubt on claims that an end to the war in Ukraine is near.
Pompeo’s comments came after President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed optimism Sunday at a press conference following their negotiations.
Trump said “a lot of progress” had been made toward ending the conflict, and Zelenskyy estimated that a proposed 20-point peace framework was roughly 90% agreed upon.
Pompeo said Putin has “conceded literally nothing to date” and expressed doubt that Putin will bend on the remaining 10% of issues holding up a deal.
“In the end, Vladimir Putin is going to need to be hit with a lot bigger stick before he’s prepared to actually come to the negotiating table in a serious way,” Pompeo said Monday on “Fox & Friends.”
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Zelenskyy said he and Trump “agree that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace.” Pompeo argued that proposals involving European forces along Russia’s border would be unacceptable to the Kremlin.
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He warned that Russia’s rhetoric and actions have given no indication that they are open to compromise.
“The way this ends is the Ukrainians continue to do the necessary, defend themselves and also make deep strikes against Russian military assets,” Pompeo said, pointing to infrastructure like refineries and munitions plants that have helped Russia rapidly expand its war machine.
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Pompeo cited reports indicating that 15% to 20% of Russia’s energy infrastructure has been taken offline and said the country has sustained nearly a million casualties.
“It will be those kinds of things that ultimately convince Putin that the benefit of peace is greater than the cost of continuing,” he said.
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