Is Mike Pompeo Mr. Trump’s “Ukraine Whisperer” And Could He Again Be Secretary Of State In A Trump Second Term? Ukraine’s Kyivstar (VEON)- Whose Parent Has Russia Roots, Has Cultivated Mr. Pompeo
Is Mike Pompeo Trump’s “Ukraine Whisperer” And Could He Again Be United States Secretary Of State In A Trump Second (And Final) Term?
Ukrainian Company (Whose Parent Enterprise Has Russian Federation Roots) Has Cultivated- And Presumably Highly Compensating Mr. Pompeo.
In January 2020, After Cancelling A Visit Planned For November 2019 And In Early January 2020, He Traveled To Ukraine As United States Secretary Of State. What He Said During Visit With President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The United States sees that the Ukrainian struggle for freedom, democracy, and prosperity is a valiant one. Our commitment to support it will not waver… We have maintained support for Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO and move closer to the European Union… In July of 2018, we released the Crimea Declaration, which clearly stated that Crimea is part of Ukraine, and the United States will never recognize Russia’s attempts to annex it. We will never accept anything less than the full restoration of Ukraine’s control over its sovereign territory.”
In April 2023, He Was First Undeclared Candidate For 2024 Republican Party Presidential Nomination To Visit Ukraine; Received Audience With President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In November 2023, Appointed “independent non-executive director” Of Kyiv, Ukraine-based Kyivstar, A Telecommunications Company With Russian Federation Roots.
In January 2024, Visited Ukraine. Reported Meeting Andriy Yermak, A Former Film Producer Serving As Head Of The Office Of The President Of Ukraine- Who Many Believe Is “The Power Holding The Throne”
A Long Rhetorical Journey From 2020 National Public Radio (NPR) Interview In Advance Of Visit To Ukraine When Then Secretary Pompeo Was Quoted: “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” Kelly said, adding that “he used the F-word in that sentence and many others.”
The most senior appointed alumnus of the Trump-Pence Administration (2017-2021) whose pre-employment relationship with Mr. Trump survived both employment by Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, and post-employment relationship with Mr. Trump, is Michael Pompeo. He may be the second-term “Trump whisperer.”
Michael Pompeo was a member of the United States House of Representatives (Kansas, 4th District) from 2011 to 2017. During the Trump-Pence Administration, Mr. Pompeo was Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2017 to 2018) and United States Secretary of State (2018 to 2021).
Mr. Pompeo, by engaging commercially with a Ukraine-based company which has Russian Federation roots, along with his support for continuing United States government participation in the thirty-two country member Brussels, Belgium-based North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and in public his forceful perspectives about, and support of commercial, economic, financial, military, and political engagement with the governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran, People’s Republic of China, and Russian Federation taken during the Trump-Pence Administration while specifically crediting President Trump, provides him with access to Mr. Trump and gravitas appreciated by and useful to Mr. Trump.
Likely management of Kyiv, Ukraine-based Kyivstar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amsterdam, Netherlands-based VEON, Ltd., believe connectivity with Mr. Pompeo can positively influence officials of the government of Ukraine. The company continues to navigate legal challenges (see below) due to its parent company’s roots in the Russian Federation. Company management likely also engaged with officials of the government of Ukraine to discuss the value of connectivity with Mr. Pompeo, particularly modeling an outcome where Mr. Trump returns to The White House on 20 January 2025.
Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2010- ) is a leading candidate to replace Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General (2014- ) of NATO since 2014 whose term expires on 1 October 2024. One of Prime Minister Rutte’s monikers- and to his supporters for the position with NATO an important connective tissue, is “the Trump whisperer” referring to a moment in 2018 with President Trump.
Politico (22 February 2024): It’s been more than five years since Mark Rutte earned the nickname “the Trump whisperer.” It was July 2018 and Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, had ushered everyone but the leaders, ambassadors, and a handful of staff out of the room at the military alliance’s headquarters. Minutes earlier, Donald Trump had derailed a discussion about Georgia and Ukraine with a tirade warning the United States would “go our own way” if other countries didn’t start spending more on their militaries. The mood was, to put it mildly, tense. French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to reason with the U.S. president, complaining that defense budgets couldn’t be simply upped overnight. But according to Timo Koster, a former director of defense policy at NATO who was in the room, it was Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, who “rescued” the situation, assuring the U.S. president that spending had gone up- and, more importantly, it was Trump who deserved the credit. As far as facts go, that was at best a debatable claim. Spending among NATO allies has crept up since the Obama administration. But the argument seemed to hit its mark. By the time Trump addressed the press later that day, he was ebullient, citing “a very amazing two-day period in Brussels” during which he had achieved “tremendous progress.” Said Koster, “The pin was back in the hand grenade.”
Steven Mnuchin, United States Secretary of the Treasury (2017-2021), is another alumnus of the Trump-Pence Administration whose pre-employment relationship with Mr. Trump survived both employment by President Trump and post-employment relationship with Mr. Trump. Mr. Mnuchin has confirmed an interest in serving in a second-term Trump Administration where on matters of economics and finance, and particularly the use of global sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury, he would, like Mr. Pompeo, be another important “Trump whisperer.”
Reuters
London, United Kingdom
3 April 2023
KYIV- Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Ukraine on Monday to underscore his support for Kyiv and said he would work towards Washington supplying F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles for the country's war against Russia. Asked whether he would back providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles Pompeo said: "Yes. And the training and the software and all the things needed to actually protect and defend your own land." Addressing an audience of Ukrainian lawmakers, government officials, representatives of the military, civil society activists and students, he said providing military support for Ukraine was in Washington's best interests. Pompeo's comments coincide with discussion in the United States around how much further support should be given to Ukraine. Washington has already provided some $30 billion in military aid since the beginning of what Moscow calls its "special military operation". Pompeo, who also served as Director of the CIA, said Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be underestimated, adding that the Kremlin leader recognized "one thing and that is power and consistent resolve". He said a new security architecture was required to ensure against major land warfare in Europe. "There must be a set of arrangements that make it unequivocally clear that Vladimir Putin will not be able to do that again," he said. Pompeo said he had travelled to Ukraine with a delegation of U.S. businessmen and representatives of several humanitarian institutions. He visited a military hospital and also met Ukrainian government officials.
VEON, Ltd.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
14 November 2023
“VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, announces that former U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo will join the Board of Directors of VEON’s wholly-owned Ukrainian subsidiary Kyivstar [2023 revenue US$702 million compared to 2022 revenue US$747 million] as an independent non-executive director. Secretary Pompeo joins in his capacity as a Partner of Impact Investments, a newly established US-based strategic and financial advisory and investment firm which seeks to develop long-term partnerships with the world’s leading companies across a range of industries and geographies. In addition, VEON Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu has been appointed as Chair of the Kyivstar Board of Directors. These changes to Kyivstar’s Board of Directors reflect VEON’s commitment to Ukraine and to the recovery and reconstruction of the country. As previously announced, VEON has committed USD 600 million in investments in Ukraine over the next three years alongside the launch of its “Invest in Ukraine NOW!” initiative, inviting other international companies to commit to Ukraine’s rebuilding. With a commitment to providing services in Ukraine, VEON has exited Russia, announcing the completion of the sale of its Russian subsidiary on 9 October 2023.
“VEON has made the clear choice to serve Ukraine through its wholly owned subsidiary Kyivstar, whose heroes have kept Ukraine and Ukrainians connected through the darkest days of war and who continue to serve Ukraine by maintaining 94% mobile network availability,” said Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO and Kyivstar Board Chair. “I am delighted to welcome Secretary Pompeo to the Board of this outstanding company, that he joins with strong support from our various US stakeholders. We look forward to the knowledge and experience that Secretary Pompeo will contribute to Kyivstar as an active and independent member of the Kyivstar Board.”
“I proudly join VEON and Kyivstar in their extraordinary service to the people of Ukraine by providing essential connectivity and digital services in health, education, business growth and entertainment. I also applaud Kyivstar’s parent company VEON for its leadership in investing in Ukraine with their own long-term commitment and their ‘Invest in Ukraine NOW!’ initiative,” said Mike Pompeo, Former U.S. Secretary of State and Kyivstar Independent Director. “It is through private enterprise and investments that Ukraine will secure its economic future and success, and I look forward to contributing to this laudable effort.”
Secretary Pompeo is a Partner of Impact Investments, a newly established US-based strategic and financial advisory and investment firm which is dedicated to advising, investing in and partnering with the world’s leading strategic companies across a range of industries and geographies. Impact will be supporting the management of Kyivstar and its parent company VEON in a number of key strategic initiatives regarding Ukraine. Secretary Pompeo served as the 70th U.S. Secretary of State from 2018 to 2021 and the sixth Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2017 to 2018. Secretary Pompeo also represented the state of Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017 and was the CEO of Thayer Aerospace from 1996 to 2006. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
About VEON- VEON is a digital operator that provides converged connectivity and digital services to nearly 160 million customers. Operating across six countries that are home to more than 7% of the world’s population, VEON is transforming lives through technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth. Headquartered in Amsterdam, VEON is listed on NASDAQ and Euronext. For more information visit: https://www.veon.com.
Disclaimer
This release contains “forward-looking statements,” as the phrase is defined in Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and include statements relating to, among other things, VEON’s governance, strategy, and investment plans. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which VEON cannot predict with accuracy and some of which VEON might not even anticipate. The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date of this release. VEON does not undertake to publicly update, except as required by U.S. federal securities laws, any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after such dates or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.”
VEON, Ltd.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 2023
Third Quarter 2023 Trading Update
“LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN UKRAINE
VEON Welcomes Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Kyivstar Board of Directors. On 14 November 2023, VEON announced that former U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo will join the Board of Directors of VEON’s wholly-owned Ukrainian subsidiary Kyivstar as an independent non-executive director in his capacity as a Partner of Impact Investments, a newly established US-based strategic and financial advisory and investment firm which seeks to develop long-term partnerships with the world’s leading companies across a range of industries and geographies. In addition, VEON Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu has been appointed as Chair of the Kyivstar Board of Directors.
VEON files motion with Kyiv Court challenging the freezing of corporate rights in Kyivstar On 30 October 2023, VEON announced that VEON Ltd. and VEON Holdings B.V. have filed two motions with the relevant Kyiv district court, challenging the freezing of the corporate rights in Kyivstar, which was initially announced on the website of the Security Services of Ukraine (SSU) on 6 October 2023. Noting that corporate rights in Kyivstar belong exclusively to VEON, and that their full or partial seizure directly violates the rights of VEON and its international debt and equity investors, VEON requested the lifting of the freezing of its corporate rights in Kyivstar. On 23 October 2023, VEON announced that it sent a senior delegation to Ukraine consisting of members of the VEON Board and Management. The delegation visited Kyiv and Lviv, meeting with Kyivstar employees, Kyivstar’s community support projects, government officials and representatives of diplomatic missions. The delegation’s visit follows VEON’s announcement on 9 October 2023 that it has closed the sale of its Russia operations and completed its exit from Russia – one of the most significant corporate exits given VEON’s public listing and the relative size of the asset. VEON had committed USD 600 million to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction over the next years during the “Ukraine Recovery Conference” in London in June.
VEON is the sole and rightful owner of Kyivstar On 12 October 2023, VEON issued a clarification regarding certain developments in Ukraine, in response to recent press reports and in order to address questions raised by VEON’s international debt and equity investors. On 6 October 2023, the Security Services of Ukraine (SSU) announced that the Ukrainian courts are seizing all “corporate rights” of Mikhail Fridman, Peter Aven and Andrei Kosogov in 20 Ukrainian companies that these individuals beneficially own, while criminal proceedings, unrelated to Kyivstar or VEON, are in progress. This announcement was incorrectly characterized by some Ukrainian media as a “seizure” or “freezing” of “Kyivstar’s assets.” On 9 October 2023, Ukrainian media further reported, with a headline which incorrectly mentions Kyivstar, that the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is separately finalizing a lawsuit in the Ukraine High Anti-Corruption Court to confiscate any Ukrainian assets of M. Fridman. To date, neither VEON nor Kyivstar had received any official communication from the Ukrainian authorities or courts regarding these matters. The only information that VEON has at the moment is from its share registrar in Ukraine, which confirms that any ownership changes to Kyivstar are currently not permitted. While VEON does not comment on unconfirmed reports in principle, the Company clarifies that VEON is and remains Kyivstar’s sole and rightful owner. None of the individuals mentioned in the SSU announcement referenced above own any shares in VEON or Kyivstar. VEON has no controlling or majority shareholder. The individuals mentioned in the SSU announcement cannot exercise any rights regarding VEON or Kyivstar, are not a part of either company’s governance mechanisms, including boards, nor do they have the ability to control or influence decisions made by VEON or Kyivstar. They do not derive benefits from VEON or any of its operating companies. Management believes that any actions aimed at the rights, benefits or funds of the aforementioned individuals cannot legitimately be directed toward Kyivstar or VEON.”
CNN
Atlanta, Georgia
26 January 2020
“A reporter for National Public Radio said Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo screamed obscenities and demanded she prove she could find Ukraine on an unmarked map after she asked – and Pompeo refused to answer – whether he owed former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch an apology.
The alleged incident took place after the taping of an interview that aired on NPR’s “All Things Considered” Friday. Pompeo instead replied to NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly question by saying, “You know, I agreed to come on your show today to talk about Iran. That’s what I intend to do. I know what our Ukraine policy has been now for the three years of this administration.” He then repeatedly tried to end the interview as Kelly continued to press him on the matter. To her last question on whether Ukraine policy had been hijacked, Pompeo replied, “I’ve been clear about that. I know exactly what we were doing. I know precisely what the direction the State Department gave to our officials around the world about how to manage our Ukraine policy.”
Kelly told listeners in a broadcast later on NPR that after the interview she was called back into Pompeo’s living room at the State Department, where the outburst then unfolded. “What is happening (at the end) there is an aide has stopped the interview, said, ‘We’re done, thank you,’ and you heard me thank the secretary,” Kelly said on air after the fact. “He did not reply – he leaned in, glared at me, and then turned and with his aides left the room.” Kelly said that moments later, “That same staffer who stopped the interview reappeared, asked me to come with her – just me, no recorder – though she did not say we were off the record, nor would I have agreed.” Kelly was brought to Pompeo’s private living room, she continued, “where he was waiting and where he shouted at me for about (the) same amount of time as the interview itself had lasted.”
Pompeo was displeased about the Ukraine questioning, and asked her, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” Kelly said, adding that “he used the F-word in that sentence and many others.” Pompeo then asked Kelly if she could find Ukraine on a map, she recounted, and when she said that she could, “He called out for aides to bring us a map of the world with no writing.” “I pointed to Ukraine. He put the map away. He said, ‘People will hear about this,’” Kelly said. “And then he turned, said he had things to do and I thanked him again for his time and left.” In a statement Saturday, Pompeo claimed that Kelly “lied to me, twice,” without specifying exactly what was said. “NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice. First, last month, in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record,” he said. Pompeo in his statement, though, did not dispute Kelly’s overall characterization of their exchange and seemed to corroborate Kelly’s account that he challenged her with an unmarked map. In response, NPR stood by its reporting. “Mary Louise Kelly has always conducted herself with the utmost integrity, and we stand behind this report,” Nancy Barnes, NPR’s senior vice president of news, said in a statement. Kelly had said the aide who ushered her over to meet with Pompeo after the interview asked her to come without a recorder, but did not say the exchange would be off the record. Kelly also said that NPR had reached out to the State Department to inform them that the outlet would be reporting on the interview’s aftermath, but had not heard back. The news comes in light of Pompeo’s impending trip to Ukraine next week – the country at the heart of the currently ongoing impeachment trial. Several Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote to Pompeo on Saturday, expressing “profound disappointment and concern” and slamming the secretary’s statement as “irresponsible.” “At a time when journalists around the world are being jailed for their reporting — and as in the case of Jamal Khashoggi, killed — your insulting and contemptuous comments are beneath the office of the Secretary of State,” the Democrats said in a letter dated Saturday, referring to the Washington Post columnist who was murdered at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul in 2018.”
United States Department of State
Washington DC
30 January 2020
“Ukrainians continue to fight this battle as they work to build a modern, democratic, Western state. They know that a free and well-governed nation is a hard-won victory, but its worth it. The United States supports those efforts and honors the achievements that you have made thus far.” – Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, November 16, 2018
Secretary Pompeo will travel to Kyiv on January 30, [2020], where he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, and Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodnyuk to underscore the United States strong support for Ukraine and the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration. The Secretary will also meet with Metropolitan Epiphany of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, civil society and business leaders, and participate in a wreath-laying ceremony to honor those who have fallen in the Donbas conflict while defending their homeland from Russian aggression.
THE UNITED STATES AND UKRAINE SHARE COMMON ASPIRATIONS FOR DEMOCRATIC VALUES, SOVEREIGNTY, AND PROSPERITY
The United States recognized Ukraine’s independence on December 25, 1991, shortly after the country declared independence from the former Soviet Union. Since then, the United States has supported the aspirations of the Ukrainian people for an independent, democratic, prosperous, and healthy Ukraine united around core Euro-Atlantic values, secure within its internationally recognized borders, and resilient against Russian aggression. In 2018, the Trump Administration relaunched the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership Commission to deepen our bilateral cooperation and advance our shared interests in countering Russian aggression, as well as promoting rule of law, economic development and energy security in Ukraine. Two-way trade between the U.S. and Ukraine reached nearly $4 billion in 2018, with particularly high volumes in mineral fuels, vehicles, iron and steel, and agricultural products. The United States supports Ukraine’s energy independence from Russian domination. In December 2019, Congress passed the Protecting European Energy Security Act (PEESA), mandating sanctions on companies involved in the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline. This action underscores U.S. support for maintaining gas transit through Ukraine a strategic deterrent to further Russian aggression.
WE WORK TOGETHER TO FIGHT RUSSIAN MALIGN INFLUENCE
The United States supports Ukraine as it counters Russian aggression and disinformation, and advances reform efforts to stamp out corruption. Since 2014, the U.S. has provided Ukraine more than $3.3 billion in total assistance, including security and non-security assistance, as well three $1 billion sovereign loan guarantees. As the United States made clear with our 2018 Crimea Declaration, Crimea is part of Ukraine, and we will never recognize Russia’s attempt to annex it. The Trump Administration has taken unprecedented steps to hold Russia accountable for its malign activities in Ukraine. Since January 2017, the U.S. has sanctioned 168 individuals and entities in connection to such activities. The Trump Administration has also provided Ukraine with security assistance that has saved lives, while helping to build enhanced defense capabilities to monitor and secure Ukraine’s borders, deploy its forces more safely and effectively, and make progress toward NATO interoperability. The United States assistance has also included a much-needed defensive anti-tank Javelin missiles and two patrol vessels. The United States ensures our efforts to counter Russias ongoing aggression in Ukraine are closely coordinated with European Allies, as demonstrated on March 15, 2019, when the United States, Canada, and the EU coordinated sanctions against Russians involved in the unjustified attack against Ukrainian vessels near the Kerch Strait. The United States is a strong supporter of the OSCEs Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), which serves as the international community’s eyes and ears on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. currently provides 55 monitors (the largest contingent) and more than $100 million in funding since the SMMs inception. As Ukraine celebrated this month the first anniversary of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s announcement of autocephaly, the United States applauds Metropolitan Epiphany for his leadership in ensuring the Church is open to all Orthodox believers. The United States supports the rights of all people to worship freely in accordance with their faith.
THE U.S. AND UKRAINE SHARE CLOSE PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES
The United States supports current and future Ukrainian leaders through educational and professional exchanges that send more than 900 Ukrainians to the U.S. each year to help further their country’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory. Peace Corps Ukraine has the largest Peace Corps operation in the world with approximately 280 volunteers serving in the country. The United States government sends more participants from Ukraine (227 participants in 2019) on the U.S. Congressionally-funded Open World program and the State Department’s Future Leadership Exchange (FLEX) than from any other country.
This interview was broadcast subsequent to the publication of the analysis by Issue Insight
Fox News
New York, New York
8 March 2024
Pompeo doesn't rule out serving in second Trump admin; doesn't comment on jobs 'I've not been offered' Mike Pompeo served under Trump as director of the CIA before becoming secretary of state
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has not ruled out a chance to serve under former President Donald Trump for a second time should he become the Republican presidential nominee and come out victorious in November. Pompeo served as Trump's director of the CIA and secretary of state during his first term.
On Friday, he was asked about serving under Trump for a second time during a Friday appearance on "Your World with Neil Cavuto."
"I don't often comment on jobs I've not been offered," he said. "If I get a chance to serve and think that I can make a difference, I'm almost I'm almost certainly going to say yes to that opportunity to try and deliver on behalf of the American people," he told Cavuto.
Cavuto noted that Trump in the past has demanded strict loyalty from those working under him. "I'm confident President Trump will be looking for people who will faithfully execute what it is he asked them to do," Pompeo replied. "I think as a president, you should always want that from everyone."
"I must say, as secretary of state, I certainly wanted my team to do what I was asking them to do, and was enormously frustrated when I found that I couldn't get them to do that," he added.
Some of Trump's most ardent supporters when he came into office have turned against him in recent years. Former Vice President Mike Pence drew Trump's ire when he refused to abide by Trump's wishes that he reject the certification of some electoral votes during a joint session of Congress held on Jan. 6, 2021. Last year, he briefly mounted an unsuccessful campaign against Trump to win the Republican presidential nomination.
Former national security adviser John Bolton called Trump "unfit" to be president in a new memoir. In a January interview with ABC News' "Good Morning America," he described what he thinks a second Trump term would look like. "I think if you look at what Trump did in his first term — which I try and describe in the original book — you can extrapolate from that what a second term will be like, and basically it will be the same except worse," Bolton told George Stephanopoulos. Trump has not made any mention of potential running mates or cabinet nominations for his second White House bid.
