Pompeo outlines bold Ukraine plan amid Kremlin backlash

- The idea of providing Kyiv with American aid under lend-lease terms and collecting repayment from future Ukrainian authorities for many years is a businessman’s approach to supporting Ukraine, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. This is a reaction to elements of Donald Trump's plan for Ukraine revealed by former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Real sanctions on the Kremlin, strengthening NATO, lend-lease for Ukraine, and lifting restrictions on the use of American weapons – according to former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, these are elements of Donald Trump's plan for Ukraine in the event of a Republican victory in the presidential elections.

- If Trump were to take office again, he could propose real actions to end Russia's war with Ukraine—unlike the half-measures of Joe Biden's administration that prolong the conflict, Pompeo declared in an article in the "Wall Street Journal."

- Experts say that if Trump is re-elected, he will cut aid to Ukraine, cede its territories to Russia, and make a deal directly with Vladimir Putin to force Ukraine into a shameful "peace," Pompeo emphasized.

The former head of American diplomacy believes that "there is no evidence that such a capitulation will be part of Trump's policy." He recalled that in 2017 Trump lifted the embargo on lethal weapons for Ukraine and began supplying Javelin anti-tank missiles to the country.

One of Pompeo's arguments in describing "Trump's plan" is that military support for Kyiv would help revitalize the American arms industry. Meanwhile, the former secretary of state accused the current administration of weakness and indecisiveness, which prolongs the war and increases the losses and suffering of Ukraine. According to Pompeo, Joe Biden's weakness contributed to Russia's invasion of the neighboring country, whereas Trump could bring about peace by demonstrating strength.

Among the points of Pompeo's peace plan was the "liberation of the U.S. energy potential" to improve economic indicators, lower commodity prices, and reduce the "budget for Putin's war crimes."

Another element is "rebuilding ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as joint actions against Iran", which will help stabilize the Middle East and push Russia out of global energy markets. For this purpose, according to Pompeo, "real sanctions against Russia" are needed because those imposed by the Biden administration "look good on paper," but remain porous.

He added that the USA needs to strengthen its defense industry to show its enemies, especially Russia and China, that it cannot compete with Washington's defense capabilities. The Russian economy is smaller than Texas's. He declared that we cannot allow China to catch up with and surpass America.

NATO should be "revitalized," meaning that European members of the Alliance should invest more in this organization. To this end, these countries should increase their defense spending to 3% of GDP, Pompeo argued.

According to the former secretary of state, a "lend-lease program for Ukraine worth $500 billion" should be created. This program would allow Ukraine to borrow as much as it needs to defeat Russia without burdening taxpayers.

- This way, we helped Great Britain during World War II before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. We can also signal to Vladimir Putin that he will never win, Pompeo believes.

- Instead of simply giving Ukraine money, allocate $500 billion on lend-lease terms so that for many decades later, funds are received from those who will change in the power structures in Kyiv; this is a businessman’s approach, Lavrov commented on these reports at a press conference.

The author of the article for the "WSJ" also assessed that all restrictions on the types of weapons that the Ukrainian army can receive and use need to be lifted because this will show Putin that the war must end. In this way, as Pompeo noted, Trump would be able to set conditions in which "the war ends immediately."

"Ukraine is building serious armed forces so that Russia cannot attack it again. No one recognizes the occupation and declared annexation of any territories, just as we never recognized the incorporation of the Baltic States by the USSR and did not recognize East Germany (GDR) until 1974. Crimea will be demilitarized. Ukraine will rebuild itself with reparations from the frozen assets of the Russian central bank, not from American taxpayers' money," the article reads.

Ukraine will join NATO "as soon as possible," and the Alliance should create a $100 billion fund for its armament, with the U.S. covering 20% of this amount. The EU should also quickly accept Ukraine and help it modernize its economy, Pompeo stated, presenting an outline of "Trump's plan."

- If Russia accepts these conditions, the West will gradually lift the sanctions. They will be fully lifted when Ukraine is in NATO and the EU, Pompeo proposed.

He also expressed his belief that the last thing Donald Trump would want during his second term is a failure in foreign policy because it would mean that the unsuccessful withdrawal of the USA from Afghanistan under Biden's rule would—compared to Trump's actions—"look like a success."

Trump has repeatedly insisted that he "will end the (Russia-Ukraine) war in one day," but most analysts believe these promises do not consider the complexity of the problem and should be treated as part of the Republican candidate's election campaign.

Western media have also published forecasts based on conversations with people from Trump's entourage, which are the opposite of Pompeo's proposals. These included the possibility of at least a serious restructuring of NATO and a reduction of the American presence in Europe, as well as negotiations with Russia regarding the retention of parts of the occupied Ukrainian territories by the Kremlin and halting further Alliance expansion.