Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday the United States is likely to continue its financial and military support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion if former Republican President Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Pompeo said in a speech in Tokyo that he had "never seen" Washington "walk away" from its allies and partners during Trump's presidency from 2017 to 2021, despite views that his former boss would cut or stop aid for Kyiv if he returns to power after the presidential election in November.
Admitting that members of the Republican Party have "many different political views," he said they have always understood the U.S. role in the world and its responsibilities.
Prospects are growing that incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden and Trump will face off at the Nov. 5 election in a rematch of the 2020 race, with the latter dominating the Iowa Republican caucuses last week for the party's presidential nomination.
Pompeo served as the U.S. Secretary of State for almost three years from 2018 under the administration of Trump, who had called on security allies to take on more of the financial burden of supporting U.S. forces during his tenure, and recently said he would solve the Russia-Ukraine war quickly.
Pompeo also said Trump, who "doesn't like war," would "give the American people and the world the best opportunity" to go back to "a more peaceful place and a more prosperous world" and to good relations with friendly nations if he becomes president again.
The "structural ideas" of Trump's first term, such as bringing down the bilateral trade deficit with China by imposing tariffs and demanding NATO members pay a "fair share" of security assistance, would be "unlikely to change," he added.
Meanwhile, Pompeo expressed support for some of Biden's policies on Asia, citing the strengthened trilateral partnership with Japan and South Korea, and the emphasis on the Quad four-way security framework with Japan, Australia and India.
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