KYIV (Reuters) – Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Ukraine on Monday to underscore his support for Kyiv and said he would work towards Washington supplying F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles for the country’s war against Russia.
Asked whether he would back providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles Pompeo said: “Yes. And the training and the software and all the things needed to actually protect and defend your own land.”
Addressing an audience of Ukrainian lawmakers, government officials, representatives of the military, civil society activists and students, he said providing military support for Ukraine was in Washington’s best interests.
Pompeo’s comments coincide with discussion in the United States around how much further support should be given to Ukraine. Washington has already provided some $30 billion in military aid since the beginning of what Moscow calls its “special military operation”.
Pompeo, who also served as Director of the CIA, said Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be underestimated, adding that the Kremlin leader recognized “one thing and that is power and consistent resolve”.
He said a new security architecture was required to ensure against major land warfare in Europe. “There must be a set of arrangements that make it unequivocally clear that Vladimir Putin will not be able to do that again,” he said.
Pompeo said he had travelled to Ukraine with a delegation of U.S. businessmen and representatives of several humanitarian institutions. He visited a military hospital and also met Ukrainian government officials.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash, Editing by Ron Popeski and Sandra Maler)
