DAVENPORT, Iowa — President Biden's handling of the Russian-Ukraine crisis came under criticism Friday night in Davenport when former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke at an Iowa Republican party event.
When asked about the administration's efforts to aid Ukraine, he referred to them as "light and weak."
"The key thing that has to be done is you have to re-establish deterrence," Pompeo said. "We sadly lost that when the president spoke about minor incursions being okay, and immediately ruling out a whole bunch of things that are telling Vladimir Putin, these are the things we won't do, you should never signal to an adversary, this kind of thing."
He continued to state that as someone who has met Putin, his threats should not be taken as empty.
"Not only is he a leader who understands power, he is also ruthless, and has demonstrated that human life is something that is unimportant to him," Pompeo said. "No, these risks are real."
When asked if Putin would be capable of using nuclear power, the former secretary of state had no doubt in his mind.
"We shouldn't make light of our adversaries and their willingness to kill and to maim and to destroy," Pompeo said. "Vladimir Putin has certainly demonstrated his capacity and willingness to do that. We have to be so determined and so resolved to push back and protect the things that matter here at home, you can see the chaos that is driving in markets."
As of now, Pompeo has not announced if he will run during the 2024 presidential election.