Mike Pence slams the 'only person' to blame for Russia-Ukraine war
president biden reportedly considering traveling to saudi arabia to ask the saudis to pump more oil just days after sending officials to venezuela to ask the same this as canada says its oil could replace russian's exports and americans are seeing record high gasoline prices at the pump both brent and crude hitting their highest prices this morning since 2008 with crude now at 122.12 a barrel and brent at 126. now a new effort from former vice president mike pence who's launching a new campaign to bring energy independence back to america joining me right now is the man himself former vice president mike pence mr vice president great to have you this morning thanks so much for being with me thank you maria good to be with you from israel in fact i want to ask you about israel because i know that the prime minister has spoken with president zielinski and as well traveled to moscow but first let me get your take on this war mr vice president we are watching death and destruction every day could the u.s and its allies be doing more to stop vladimir putin well maria there's a truth of history that weakness arouses evil when you look at the record of this administration it's almost inarguable that the unilateral capitulation to russia on nordstream 2 on a new start treaty the disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan all created the conditions where putin felt emboldened to once again try and redraw the lines of europe by force but make no mistake about it uh the only one to blame for what's happening in the russian invasion in ukraine is vladimir putin and putin must stop or putin must pay and it's absolutely imperative as i met today with the president of israel with the prime minister of israel it's imperative that the free world come together that we find ways to arm the people of ukraine to be able to defend their nation and their territorial integrity and the time has come for us not just to sanction financial institutions but the time has come to sanction all oil and energy exports from russia energy is the lifeblood of the russian economy and we're calling on on our congress we're calling on this administration and we're calling on nations around the world to join us in in an international embargo to bring the kind of pressure that we must bring to bear if we hope to stop this mindless senseless russian invasion of ukraine and yet the administration has yet to say that a bill was brought to the floor yesterday in terms of cutting off russian imports we don't know when that vote will take place i'm hearing possibly wednesday but the bible administration is asking our adversaries to pump more oil he's apparently considering saudi arabia venezuela and i want to get your take on this idea that we are imminently going to see a new iran deal you just said that you spoke with the leadership in israel the president has talked about potentially getting oil from iran what are your conversations about that well uh there's there's a great deal of alarm here in our most cherished ally israel over the very idea that this administration continues in in the midst of a russian invasion of ukraine continues to drive to revive the disastrous iran nuclear deal and it's even more offensive maria when you think that we're working directly with russia uh in in an effort to revive that deal it was it was bad to begin with it was dangerous at the time president trump was right uh to rip up the iran nuclear deal but now in the environment we're in today the very idea uh that we would uh that that we would look to to purchase oil from iran to purchase oil from the dictator maduro in venezuela all the while that this administration continues its war on american energy you know it is really remarkable i don't have to tell you maria that uh in the four years of the trump pence administration we achieved energy independence for the first time in 70 years we were a net exporter of energy but from very early on with killing the keystone pipeline taking federal lands off the list for exploration sidelining leases for oil and natural gas once again we before ukraine ever happened we saw rising gasoline prices but so the answer here is number one stand firm as as the united states and have the free world join us in cutting off funds to russia in their energy exports we need to put those sanctions on but at the same moment president biden and this administration must unleash american energy and stop going hat in hand to places like venezuela i hear the president bind and may be headed to saudi arabia to ask them personally to pump morel and for heaven's sakes let's let's let's offline any further discussion of the iran nuclear deal for the sake of israel's security and frankly in the recognition that now more than ever we should not be dealing with the ayatollahs in tehran or putin in moscow in in lifting sanctions or pressure that we've placed on iran what kind of response might we see from israel if in fact we were to see the u.s back in this iran deal honestly we're hearing it's imminent well it's uh i have to tell you in meeting with the president of israel this morning in meeting with the prime minister israel's made their position clear that they're categorically opposed to the iran nuclear deal there's all kinds of reasons to be and when when our administration tore up the deal it's because we recognize that not only did it not prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon it guaranteed that they we would be able to obtain a nuclear weapon in 10 years but the reality that we would lift sanctions in the immediate short term and see billions of dollars flow in to iran also will will continue to to to uh foment the kind of violence that was characteristic of the region before our administration came into office that's the concern that i heard from leaders and from rank and file citizens here in in israel but beyond all of that again maria the idea that we are negotiating actively with russia in vienna to revive the disastrous iran nuclear deal as their tanks are rolling over innocent civilians and the people of ukraine is unconscionable it has to stop and for all those reasons this administration should abandon any future effort on the iran nuclear deal let's focus on giving the people of ukraine the support that they need to defend themselves let's isolate russia economically particularly with regard to energy and for heaven's sakes let's unleash american energy and and restore uh america's role in the world as a as a leading energy provider yeah it's absolutely extraordinary mr vice president that russia is the mediator uh on behalf of the united states in the vienna talks i want to get one more question in given you are in israel on this topic and then move on to how we're going to unleash this energy in america the ceo of chevron said that natural gas pipeline from israel to europe could help alleviate the shortage your thoughts on this potential new idea a pipeline israel to europe well any additional infrastructure investment that allows for the transfer of natural gas both into europe and into israel would be welcome news i mean remember not only were we a net exporter of of uh of oil but also of natural gas and and during our administration we were actually in discussions with several european countries about improving their ports improving the ability to import american natural gas but it's amazing to think that among the missteps of the biden administration after we had sidelined the nordstrom 2 deal a plan to build another natural gas pipeline from russia into the heart of europe the biden administration unilaterally approved it and it wasn't until the russian tanks were rolling into ukraine that they pulled back on that it was a mistake in the very beginning what we ought to be doing is tying the free world together from the perspective of energy tying europe and israel together all of that that's that's a vouch say for the prosperity of freedom in the world and also it'll contribute to american prosperity for gen generations to come well you mentioned the excel pipeline let me just say mr vice president it was on day one of joe biden's presidency that he came in and started reversing all of your policies along with president trump's policies and putting the climate change agenda as the priority in the middle of all of this vice president kamala harris is apparently going to poland and in doing so she is continuing to push this switch to electric vehicles here's what the vice president said yesterday watch this we are all in the midst of a turning point we have the technology to transition to a zero emission fleet we can address the climate crisis and grow our economy at the same time she said her favorite subject is electric school buses maria i i have to tell you the uh the the dogged focus uh of this administration uh and the liberal left in the democratic party on their climate change green agenda even in the face of a russian invasion of of ukraine is just astonishing to me i mean the the the idea that they would see this as an opportunity to give even more impetus uh to their green agenda i mean telling the american people that you go out and buy a 75 000 electric car when gasoline is four dollars a gallon that that's somehow the solution is it it's pretty absurd i mean we know the pathway forward to american prosperity it's american energy independence and we know the pathway toward turning back the russian aggression that is trampling innocent lives and ransacking across russia and that is to respond with american strength our economy is 15 times larger than the russian economy we were a net exporter of energy we can impose an embargo on oil and natural gas from russia we can unleash american energy we can turn back the tide of the russian military by bringing economic pressure for heaven's sakes the time is now for this administration to at least take a time out on their climate change agenda and embrace american strength and american energy well especially since we are in an energy crisis right now mr vice president what more can be done at this point you've met with president zielenski you know vladimir putin uh can you talk to us a little about these gentlemen i mean vladimir putin has made demands saying that he does not want uh any nato involvement whatsoever he does not want uh ukraine to be part of nato what are your thoughts on vladimir putin right now and his mindset well uh having uh having stood toe to toe with president putin myself i can tell you vladimir putin only understands strength and i truly do believe that the reason why our administration is the only american administration in the 21st century where putin did not try and grab land and redraw international borders by force is because he saw american strength we rebuilt our military we strengthened our our common alliance we called on nato allies to invest more in our common defense and i and and and we built up american energy and american energy exports all as we stood with our allies i think it was that strength that was a that was a deterrence to putin's ambitions and it's the pathway forward but i must tell you i did have the opportunity to spend time with president zielinski uh i must i i i have to tell you that i i i share the admiration of the world for his personal courage for the stand that he has taken i i have to believe that putin and the russian military got more than they bargained for with the strong ukrainian people and with the strength that president zielinski has shown and now is a time for the free world to stand with him to provide the ukrainian military with the resources and equipment that they need to defend themselves and repel the russian invasion and more than anything else we've got to impose that oil and natural gas embargo unleash american energy and call as i did today here in israel and call on our allies around the world to join us to put a maximum pressure campaign on russia if i go back again maria vladimir putin only understands strength and standing strong with the people of ukraine giving them the ability to defend themselves and and redoubling our commitment uh to a strong and prosperous uh america is it's a pathway forward to stability in europe and to the end of this unspeakable violence that's ransacking across ukraine as we speak and you are encouraging this and pushing energy independence in america is there anything else that the u.s and nato allies could be doing to help ukraine it is absolutely heartbreaking to watch this constant death and destruction now for 13 days well it's so important to each of us i i breathed a prayer today here in israel karen and i visited the western wall it's important that we pray for the people of ukraine but i want to say to all of my countrymen back home it's also important that we recognize almost a million and a half ukrainians have crossed the border are now in hungary and in poland there are organizations like the international red cross like samaritan's purse and other relief organizations that are literally on the ground aiding those beleaguered families and so while we call on this administration to take those steps that we know will demonstrate american strength uh and utilize all the resources of american energy pull together our allies to support ukraine i just encourage every american to pray and and as you're able to be generous to these organizations that have come alongside these beleaguered families and and let them know that the american people are with them to provide for them in their hour of need mr vice president you were instrumental in the talks in the middle east of course the abraham accords as well as moving the embassy your thoughts on where we are today with biden's foreign policy after the uh botched afghanistan withdrawal we say china and and and russia partnering up on a number of levels well there's no question that the disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan has emboldened the enemies of the united states and our adversaries around the world but now is the time for us to make it clear that we are going to stand with our allies and stand up to our enemies i must tell you uh being here in israel today uh my uh my first time back since the abraham accords were signed to see the progress toward peace that happened under our administration but it was all predicated first and foremost uh on on the way that we isolated iran as never before that's why one of the reasons i i i just it's incomprehensible to me maria that as we see war ravaging across ukraine a russian invasion in ukraine that this administration continues not only its headlong rush on its climate change agenda but a headlong rush to lift sanctions on iran and in fact set the table to be buying oil from iran while we're cutting off oil and gas exploration in the united states we we have we have got to seize on the progress that we made it made peace possible with the abraham accords and that's what i heard everywhere i've gone here in israel what do you want to hear from germany of course during your administration president trump and yourself push germany to pay more uh in terms of nato to pay more for its own defense in fact it has now announced it will increase defense spending are you vindicated and what is the story in terms of germany's pushback it relies on russian oil will that be the barrier to stopping russian imports maria there was so much criticism of our administration when president trump and i made it clear that we wanted our nato allies to live up to their commitments and you'll remember at the time we we saw 130 billion dollars more in investment by our nato allies in our common defense those are investments that are that are contributing today to a stronger nato but the fact that during our administration germany had had put a 10-year timeline said it wouldn't be till 2030 that they would achieve that two percent goal that they had agreed to years earlier was a source of frustration but i want to give chancellor schultz credit uh the people of germany credit uh that now they've made that commitment to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on our common defense and are also transferring weapons to the people of ukraine germany is the economic powerhouse in so many ways of europe and to see germany now stepping up to assist us in providing for common defense i mean it's one other way that that putin got more than he was bargaining for i mean i i honestly think he underestimated the courage of president zielinski and the incredible courage of the ukrainian people but also it's it's clear to many of us that putin was anticipating division in the west uh he saw nato as a weakened alliance but i believe the work that our administration did the spade work of building up that alliance making our expectations clear to nato has now created an environment where nato frankly has come together as never before uh and and to those who want to lay the blame for the russian invasion in ukraine on the expansion of nato i just simply ask uh where where would our allies in poland or uh estonia or latvia or lithuania be today if it were not for nato i mean we've expanded the boundaries of freedom and we should continue to work to expand the boundaries of freedom in in europe and elsewhere around the world mr vice president before you go a word on 2024 do you want president trump to run are you looking to get back into leadership you know all of my focus right now is on 2022 i think we have a historic opportunity to reclaim majorities in the house and the senate to elect great republican governors around america and in 2023 i'm i'm confident the republican party will nominate a candidate who will be the next president of the united states of america and at the right time my family and i will reflect and consider how we might participate in that process but now more than ever uh with war in europe and with uh an administration seemingly intent on weakening our country driving our nation toward a european style welfare state we need strong republican majorities on capitol hill and strong republican governors and that's what we're going to work to achieve mr vice president thanks very much safe back home and congratulations on the award you are receiving in israel good to see you vice president mike pence
2022-03-09 18:02
