Putin does no longer ‘give a rip’ about how this makes Russia ogle: Fmr secretary of converse

Mike Pompeo with us right now of course you know the name and the man the former Secretary of State kind enough to join us uh secretary always good having you on I I I know Hope Springs Eternal that that you know you capture some of their bad guys they're more inclined right now to negotiate to release some of our good guys never seems to materialize though.

There was even talk with Alexa naali uh When Vladimir Putin had said just days after his death we were so close to a deal to get him out I don't know who to believe what about you well NE it's great to be with you uh you know these are very difficult situations uh the the hostage work was some of the most gut-wrenching personal work that I.

Did as Secretary of State a little bit when I was CI director as well you know as for getting Evan out there is only one thing director petta had one part of that right there is only one thing that Vladimir Putin will release him for and that is if he believes there's a real cost if he doesn't do so and to date apparently there has been nothing.

Offered to Vladimir Putin that will convince him to release Evan gersich as we're capturing Russian spies we should do that we should do that regardless of whether they're holding or someone in wrongful detainment in Russia if there are Russian spies operating in the United States for goodness sake let's go get them not because we have a someone.

Being held in Russia but because we need to get them off the streets uh there there's always trades that can be made uh that's very dangerous we saw that when we got back Britney Griner they just take more they just stock the inventory Neil and so this this is a question of power and President Biden's capacity to demonstrate cost and to date.

I've seen no evidence that this Administration is prepared to impose a real cost on Vladimir Putin to get Evan home but you know this is the type of behavior secretary you you you'd kind of expect that of a Banana Republic or a third world country I mean whatever you think of Russia it it is still a superpower.

Um they're they're they're punching way under their weight and I'm just wondering do they have any concept of how that looks to the world NE they do but they don't give a rip uh this is a long tradition this goes back we heard director P talk about his time it goes back it predates that too uh we we we have frankly rewarded a lot of.

Countries uh for taking Americans and holding them and they find it lucrative they find it of value it's how they get a better position for themselves and the there's there's no domestic cost obviously for Vladimir Putin in doing so and so here we find ourselves you know um I I mention in the context also of the Ukraine War uh and.

We're two years into that right secretary and uh Vladimir Putin is personally the richest he's ever been and oil revenues that were supposed to be sort of choked off are are at a record high for Russia right now and it's capitalizing off these higher energy prices it it just seems like upside down.

World yeah yeah I think it truly is look I think there I think there's three big mistakes that have caused us to go on now two years and a handful of of months uh the first obviously was losing deterrence not convincing Vladimir Putin there'd be real cost for taking part of Ukraine we were able to do it for four years uh we lost it when we left office.

Uh second uh We've not held again this is much like the the issue with Evan we've not held anything that Vladimir Putin values at risk when when he knows that Ukrainian mothers are putting their children tonight at bed to bed at night and feeling like they may not wake up but Russian mothers in Moscow are putting their children to bed and that's.

All good there's nothing there's no cost for Vladimir Putin uh the the final piece and this is the really the one you get to the sanctions efforts that the administration began with where Jake Sullivan came out and said don't worry it's just going to take a little bit of time proved to be completely feckless they they didn't set oil embargos they.

Didn't ban the product they simply set a price cap and the Russians have found a way to work around that sanctions are only a value Neal if you enforce them and you make them punitive this Administration chose to not do that because they didn't want gasoline at the pump in the American to be expensive in an election year that's a mistake it.

Certainly didn't achieve these sanctions certainly have not achieved their objective and in fact you're right they've made Vladimir Putin even more wealthy in the Russian Enterprise arming their military even easier for him s uh secretary if I can switch gears here to Israel I I'm not even sure a delegation from Israel is coming here or.

Not whether this will be a video conference Benjamin Netanyahu of course had scrapped the idea uh when we abstained from this vote that called for an immediate ceasefire first time I believe that's ever happened uh we are promising $3.8 billion in in in or S on top of the $3.8 billion we give an aid to Israel every year and some more Aid.

And more arms coming to them uh but it seems we're we're handling it gingerly and then I'm reminded of Senator Chris Van Holland of Maryland who said about Israel more Aid fewer war crimes he was referring to their behavior in Gaza and and saying that um you you got to be helping folks and not committing more war crimes what did you think of.

That you know I I think in some ways Senator Schumer Senator Holland have just lost the threat here they've lost the focus uh the focus is uh making sure that something like what happened on October 7th never happens again and imposing real costs on the Iranian regime for having funded trained and facilitated what happened on October 7th.

They seem they seem so focused on their left wing of their own Democratic base the the sort of the pramas part of their party instead of the defeat of Hamas and making sure that we don't have hundreds of human beings now Americans still held hostage raped tortured in the way they were on October 7th I I hear all the Democratic chatter to today is about.

Slowing down Israel making sure Israel is behaving properly when in fact the objective needs to be the defeat the destruction of all of the entirety of the infrastructure of Hamas do you get a sense though we've never done done this of course the UN vote thing was an unprecedented act as well but we've never cut Aid or we might.

Have in the past you know history on this matter far better than I do where if Israel wasn't towing a line that an administration had it you know there was always the inference maybe your Aid will be cut or threatened do you think that's what's next I hope not it wouldn't make any sense in the current context remember.

The the the Israelis are fighting a common fight they're fighting the Iranian regime they're fighting a common foe not only of the United States and of Israel but of the gulf Arab states as well they're the world's largest state sponsor Teran to deny resources for Israel to conduct a campaign that keeps Americans safer.

Would be both uh pound foolish and silly and dangerous I'm I'm just wondering as we step back from this and it it's always a crazy world and you've written a great deal about it as a CIA director as a secretary of state you you've witnessed it and dealt with it and tried to to improve it it is what it is but it it.

Seems like bad guys are winning a PR War right I mean Hamas that now looks like a sympathetic figure China that plays in the in the eyes of many in the Press of statesmanlike role in these crisis Russia as I said and Vladimir Putin uh getting the edge and and also having a significant Improvement in in their image in the eyes of the world none of.

This makes sense sense secretary you I I actually think I disagree with you I don't I don't think they're winning the pr War I think they may be winning the propaganda campaign and that may be influencing some across a broad spectrum of the West think of not only United States and Europe but of other democracies places like South.

Korea and Japan I think what this requires is doubling down on an understanding of who we are and the things that matter inside of our own Nations if we get it wrong here at home if we don't teach our kids that this is indeed an exceptional nation and that America is a Force for good wherever it goes it's not that we don't screw up.

From time to time but we're out there trying to make life better for not only the American people but for people all across the world if we if we lose that threat in how we're educating our children I think you may be right it could be that the bad guys the evildoers uh win the narrative and when you win that storyline when you are viewed as.

The strong horse bad things happen here at home well I certainly hope you're right and I am horribly wrong um secretary it's always an honor to you thank you for your service to the country and bless you have a happy Easter NE

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