Pompeo: Putin Will Need to Be Hit Harder Before He's Serious About Simple Act of Laying Down Arms

On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Fox News Contributor former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that “Vladimir Putin’s 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 and do the simple thing of laying down his weapons and [stopping] this aggression,” and Ukrainian strikes will be the stick to do so.

Pompeo said, “The adversary here, Vladimir Putin has, as best I can tell, conceded literally nothing to date. And while they say there’s 90% agreement, I doubt that Vladimir Putin thinks that the relevant 10% that remains is anything he’s willing to give up on.”

He added, “I think, in the end, Vladimir Putin’s 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 and do the simple thing of laying down his weapons and [stopping] this aggression, the killing of Ukrainian children, Christians in Ukraine, all of the things we’ve seen for what is now just, goodness, almost the last four years.”

Pompeo added that deep strikes by Ukraine against Russia, including ones on energy infrastructure, are what will be needed, and Europe will have to continue to provide support so Ukraine can do so.

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