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Fox viewers got a blunt dose of reality when former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Trey Gowdy’s audience that Vladimir Putin is behaving like a bully who believes the world will look the other way. Pompeo’s plainspoken warning — that the Kremlin has shown little real appetite for a fair peace and instead acts to advance its own interests — should make every patriotic American uncomfortable.
Pompeo didn’t mince words about American credibility, arguing that weak signals from the West invite aggression and that Putin has tested that weakness repeatedly. That is not mere rhetoric; it is the foreign-policy lesson of the last few years, and Pompeo’s conservative foreign-policy instincts — peace through strength, not moralizing lectures — are exactly what our allies and partners need right now.
Meanwhile the Trump administration has been quietly, effectively pushing to end the killing in Europe through serious diplomacy, even lining up meetings and presenting proposals that aim at a durable ceasefire rather than endless escalation. The White House’s recent focus — bringing parties to the table and trying to convert battlefield stalemate into negotiated peace — reflects an American-first realism that conservatives can and should support.
Make no mistake: Vladimir Putin will try to game any deal that allows him to pocket gains while America looks the other way, which is why Republican vigilance is vital. As senior administration officials like Vice President JD Vance have emphasized, the window for a meaningful agreement is narrow, and every concession must be weighed against whether it preserves long-term Western security and deters future aggression.
At the same time, President Trump’s office has been hard at work shuttling between regional leaders to nail down a ceasefire-and-hostage plan in the Middle East, trying to turn negotiable promises into a concrete pathway to end the Hamas terror campaign and free captive Americans. Conservative pragmatism demands we pursue those outcomes aggressively while insisting that any ceasefire include steps that remove terror networks and protect innocent civilians.
Pompeo’s clarity is the tonic to the fog of diplomatic doublespeak from the left; he reminds us that peace achieved on America’s terms requires leverage, firm allies, and leaders who will not blink. Republicans should rally behind a strategy that pairs shrewd diplomacy with the muscle to back it up — not the hollow appeasement that invites dictators and emboldens terrorists.
If Washington wants real, lasting peace — whether in Gaza or the Donbas — it must act from strength and with clear demands, not platitudes. Hard-nosed diplomacy, supported by the American people and our NATO partners, can produce deals that protect freedom and punish bad actors; that must be our marching order as Pompeo warns and as the administration works to close these deals.
