Mike Pompeo: Kissinger 'wrong,' US must support, not 'pressure' Ukraine over Russia negotiations

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2 American fighters seen in photos being held by Russian forces in Ukraine

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Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has taken issue with predecessor Henry Kissinger’s comments regarding his opinion about Ukraine returning to a "status quo ante" to negotiate peace with Russia. 

"Ukraine is a free and independent nation and is sovereign over all its land," Pompeo told Fox News Digital. "Ukraine should not be pressured by its partners and allies. This besieged country and its suffering people need our support."

Kissinger told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, "Ideally, the dividing line should be a return to the status quo ante," which many have interpreted as meaning the division of territory prior to Russia’s invasion.

That concession would leave Crimea in Russian possession.

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Pompeo countered that assessment while speaking at the Tikvah Fund’s Jewish Leadership Conference on Sunday, saying, "Dr. Kissinger just has this one wrong." 

But he went further and told Fox News Digital that the U.S. needs to support Ukraine as the European nation determines its own course. 

"Ukraine must possess the means to synchronize all elements of its armed power," Pompeo explained. "This will prove determinative in this war. This capability will support Ukraine’s future as an independent nation, which governs its borders, as well as the future stability of Europe and world markets.

"This is what we must help Ukraine achieve," he added. "We must, with our NATO allies, see that Ukraine has all that it needs to save precious lives. This must be done with American aid but not with any American boots on the ground." 

The former secretary stressed that any negotiations that seek to appease Russia will only embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin with future ambitions. 

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"Putin feeds on weakness, but Ukraine has shown none," Pompeo said. "Any vacillation in support of Kyiv will only encourage Putin to try to occupy illegally more sovereign land.

"Such Russian aggression if left to stand will, in all likelihood, envelop other nations," he continued. "We have to aid Ukraine and make it crystal clear to Russia that Putin’s unconscionable war will fail in all its objectives."

Russia has found itself in a stronger position now that the ruble has recovered its value, even exceeding its pre-invasion value. Pompeo criticized nations who are "friends" of the U.S. but continue to buy Russian oil and gas, which "fuels Putin’s war machine." 

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That also means that China, one of the biggest economies in the world, continues to purchase Russian energy as well. 

"The products that America imports from China are the physical result of this energy trade between Russia and China," Pompeo noted, adding that the U.S. must rethink its energy and economic security to "stem this destructive tide." 

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"The recently announced accord between Israel and Egypt to team together to provide natural gas to the European Union is an example of what may be accomplished through prompt action," he said.