Putin hasn't changed; America's response has, Pompeo says

International tension regarding a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine has escalated in large part because President Vladimir Putin now has free rein to act out his wishes under the Biden administration, according to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Putin long has wanted to rebuild the collapsed Soviet Union, and the mission has not changed in recent years, according to Pompeo, who served under former President Donald Trump. "What changed was how America was prepared to respond," he said.

Pompeo made his comments during a wide-ranging appearance Monday on the "Just the News" television program, cohosted by John Solomon and Amanda Head.

The United States may have sent a signal to Putin that the Russian leader is being closely watched by Western intelligence, Pompeo said. Recent news about a potential Russian "false flag" operation — to convince the world that Ukraine attacked Russian troops — may have been the result of a deliberate leak, Pompeo said. 

In that scenario, the U.S. deliberately allowed the information to leak, so that Moscow would know that its plan had been uncovered.

"It's possible that they wanted this information out there, that the administration intentionally provided this so that the Russians would see that we knew and that the world could see," Pompeo said.  

"It wouldn't shock me if the Russians had a [false] flag operation of some kind," he said. "It's in the finest traditions of the KGB. And Putin is in the finest tradition of being a former KGB officer as well."

Putin clearly retains his revanchist view of wanting to restore the Soviet Union, Pompeo said. 

"Vladimir Putin didn't put 130,000 soldiers on the western border and move massive equipment and developers during our four years" under Trump, Pompeo said. "It's not because he didn't have the same imperative."

The U.S. should pay attention, the former top diplomat said.

"It just simply means we have to be determined in our resolve and support the democratic institutions in Ukraine," he said. "And when there's corruption in Ukraine, we should push back against that as well."

In addition to serving as secretary of state, Pompeo was director of the Central Intelligence Agency under Trump, from 2017 to 2018.

The rest of the interview can be viewed on "Just the News."