Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday told Fox News that China and North Korea could "see a weakness" in the west after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which could lead to "a cascading set of calamities around the world."
Pompeo said in the interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "always had a dream of a greater Russia. That hasn't changed — that's been a constant since he's been in charge in Russia."
He went on to note the "enormous influence" of American economic power, saying, "We need to be fearless in using it. And when you are weak, when you allow the debacle in Afghanistan to result in the death of 13 Americans, this is precisely what bad guys will see."
Pompeo said he’s "really worried … about a cascading set of calamities around the world."
He added that while current and former government officials are "watching Europe," they cannot be sure if Putin "will stop in Ukraine."
The former secretary said, "I'm confident the Ukrainian people will fight, but we could have [Chinese President] Xi Jinping see a weakness. We could have [North Korean] Chairman Kim [Jong Un] see weakness."
He also said that the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration "won't be strong enough to deter what's happening this afternoon or tomorrow," and he said the government ought to "think about allowing American crude oil and natural gas to travel the world to support the Ukrainian people and the people of Europe."
Pompeo said this "would reduce the price of crude oil and gasoline — that'd be good for the United States — but, importantly, it would deny $50 a barrel to Vladimir Putin.
"We are, by shutting down American energy, we are fueling a communist invasion," he continued. "We should take away the resources from the Russians, just like we did the Iranians and Chinese during our time in office."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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