Former VA Secretary Robert Wilkie signaled on Newsmax Saturday that the Trump administration prefers peace in Ukraine but emphasized the U.S. is fully prepared to devastate Russia’s economy and bolster Ukraine’s defense should diplomacy fail.
Wilkie, chairman of the Center for National Security at the America First Policy Institute, expressed support for President Trump’s tough stance against Russia during an interview on “Wake Up America Weekend.”
Wilkie’s remarks follow Vice President JD Vance’s recent comments in Munich, suggesting a desire for a more permanent resolution than the current 30-day ceasefire proposal in Ukraine.
“We all hope for something more permanent,” Wilkie said. “Putin has taken his country into a conflict where he’s lost, killed, or wounded 900,000 people. Put that in perspective—we lost 56,000 in 10 years of Vietnam.”
“With the demonstration Putin had in Moscow yesterday, I don’t think he is about ready to stop,” Wilkie said, noting President Trump’s recent statements placing full responsibility for the ongoing conflict squarely on Putin.
“We have the tools, if the president so desires to use them, to cripple the Russian economy and to provide the Ukrainians with what they need to fight back,” Wilkie emphasized. He confirmed that arms shipments resumed last Wednesday, a move intended to support Ukraine’s resistance.
When asked if sanctions alone are sufficient to restrain Russia, Wilkie highlighted President Trump’s past strategies: “President Trump removed Russia from the international banking system and put clamps on their ability to sell oil globally. Trump’s use of America’s energy power had lowered the cost of oil so far that Russia was actually losing money trying to sell oil.”
Commenting on Putin’s latest “Victory Day” military demonstration, Wilkie noted Russia’s increasing isolation. “He was surrounded by the pariah nations of the planet—Iran and North Korea,” Wilkie observed, indicating Putin’s growing reliance on rogue states. “Parading North Korean and Iranian weapons shows just how far Putin has come in terms of descending into not complete desperation, but he really has gotten himself into a bind that’s going to be hard to extract himself from.”
Addressing continued U.S. military support, Wilkie noted Trump’s strategic decision to alleviate Ukraine’s financial obligations. “The president restarted [weapon shipments] last Wednesday. He wiped out Ukraine’s debt to the United States, amounting to $120 billion in American munitions,” Wilkie explained. He also highlighted the mineral exchange deal, allowing Ukraine to use mineral revenues to purchase more weapons.
Wilkie added, “If Europeans keep their promises to rebuild their defenses and send weapons to Ukraine, there’s not much Putin can do.”
Concluding on broader geopolitical implications, Wilkie identified China as a key factor. “At the bottom of all this, certainly in Ukraine, is China. They’re propping up the two great pariah states—the Russians and Iranians. President Trump seems to be the only person capable of dealing with them and telling the world the truth about Chinese ambitions.”
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