Pence: President Trump should be commended

Mike Pence: "Well, first, I think the President should be praised for pursuing peace in Ukraine. This President has already secured peace agreements in Africa, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. I believe he deserves recognition as the leader of the free world for not giving up on Ukraine, particularly, Jake, since there are many voices within and around the administration that would have abandoned Ukraine months ago. So I want to commend the President for trying to make progress. I must say I would have liked to see a ceasefire, but the truth is that no deal is better than a bad deal.

What we heard Ambassador Witkoff describe is encouraging. There was at least an assent in the meeting between Putin and Trump for the United States to provide security guarantees. And clearly, the President did not forfeit anything related to U.S. national security or the security of our allies in Eastern Europe in the midst of this war.

At the end of the day, it is important to remember that the villain here is Putin. Putin launched a brutal and unprovoked invasion more than three years ago. I have traveled to Ukraine twice, literally walked the streets, and seen the aftermath of that brutal invasion. And now, more than ever, the United States and our allies need to stand strongly with Ukraine and create the conditions for a just and lasting peace."

On August 17, 2025, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence publicly addressed President Donald Trump's recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. While acknowledging Trump's efforts to pursue peace in Ukraine, Pence emphasized the necessity for a more assertive approach toward Russia. Pence commended Trump for not abandoning Ukraine, highlighting the importance of continued U.S. support. However, he stressed that Putin "only understands strength" and urged the administration to implement immediate secondary sanctions against Russia. Pence described this as "the hammer" that needs to come down on Putin, suggesting that such measures would disrupt the Russian economy and pressure Putin into negotiations. Despite the absence of a ceasefire agreement from the Alaska summit, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff reported that Putin agreed in principle to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine NATO-like "Article 5" security guarantees. Pence expressed cautious optimism about these developments but maintained that strong deterrence remains essential.