Former US VP Mike Pence: Providing Ukraine with means to defend itself is an imperative for the entire West

During his election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to end the Ukraine War. While some progress has been made in negotiations since he took office, a real ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine – let alone a lasting peace – remains elusive.

Can Trump deliver on his promise?

ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg posed the question to someone who knows Trump’s political and diplomatic instincts better than most: his former vice president, Mike Pence.

In part 3 of their conversation, which aired on THE ROSENBERG REPORT on TBN, Rosenberg asked Pence what the Trump administration’s position should be at this stage in order to bring the war to an end.

“I think this is a moment where we need to make it clear that if Vladimir Putin continues to insist on prosecuting this brutal war against the Ukrainian people, that the United States and the West will continue to give the brave Ukrainian military what they need to fight, and to raise the cost even further for Russia,” Pence replied.

“And my hope is that President Trump will do just that,” he added.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled that his country would be willing to accept a U.S. proposal for a 30-day immediate ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been dragging his feet.

In a weekend interview with NBC News, President Trump said he is "very angry" and "pissed off" with Putin and threatened to impose a 50% tariff on countries buying Russian oil if Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire.

That threat might have paid off. According to The New York Times, a Kremlin envoy announced on Thursday that he had held a meeting with the Trump administration in Washington this week. This marks the first time in years that a senior Russian official has traveled to the United States for official talks at the White House.

“I have no doubt in my mind that if Vladimir Putin overruns Ukraine, it'll only be a matter of time before he crosses a border where our men and women in uniform are going to have to go fight him,” Pence warned.

“Having studied his rhetoric over the last 25 years, his ambition is to reassert the old Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe by force, if necessary,” he explained.

Pence believes that providing Ukraine with the resources to defend itself is not only an “enormously important national imperative” but an imperative for the West as a whole.

He noted that he was encouraged by President Zelenskyy’s willingness to put peace on the table and accept the American proposal, despite the fiery and unusual meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the Oval Office.

“I've been in a lot of meetings in the Oval Office that were just as vigorous, but only one that I can remember where the cameras were on,” Pence said.

Trump’s former vice president believes any policy must begin by acknowledging the truth – that Russia started this war with an unprovoked, brutal invasion of Ukraine. Pence and his wife, Karen, witnessed the aftermath firsthand during their visit to Ukraine in 2023 with Samaritan’s Purse, a non-denominational evangelical international relief organization.

“We traveled across the border two months after the invasion. We went to a refugee center to see literally thousands of women and children carrying all their earthly possessions fleeing from the Russian invasion,” he told Rosenberg.

“I think the first element is to understand that we simply cannot accept authoritarian regimes, whether it be Russia, whether it be China, whether there be Iran – attempting to redraw international lines by force,” he continued.

Pence connected the prospects of peace between Russia and Ukraine to a clear demonstration of American strength.

“At the end of the day, I truly do believe whether you're talking about Vladimir Putin or President Xi or the Ayatollahs, these are men of power. They only understand strength,” he said.

“And so, by acting out American strength – having America embrace our role as leader of the free world from Eastern Europe to the Asia Pacific, and most especially with regard to our most cherished ally, Israel – that's the real pathway to peace in the 21st century.”

And what would qualify as ‘peace’ in Ukraine? According to Pence, it’s whatever the Ukrainian people are willing to accept and move forward with.

Watch Joel Rosenberg’s full conversation with former Vice President Mike Pence on the TBN website.

Click to read about the Pence interviews regarding broad-based tariffs and Trump's readiness to engage Iran.

The Rosenberg Report airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. EST and Saturday nights at 10 p.m. EST on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the most-watched Christian television network in the United States.