Blumenthal Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and additional sanctions and export controls on Russia announced today by the Biden Administration:

The courage of Ukrainians fighting for their homeland should be matched by even stronger, crippling sanctions by America and its allies. We should aggressively push our allies to deny Russia access to the SWIFT world financial system and target Putin and his corrupt oligarchs with sanctions on their personal assets. 

Today, the people of Ukraine woke to an unprovoked and multi-pronged attack on their country: an attack on peaceful cities across Ukraine and an attack on the right of sovereign peoples everywhere to determine their own future.

Vladimir Putin is has violated core principles that uphold global peace and security, seeking to change the borders of a sovereign country by force and attacking the post-World War II global order.  

We need no further justification to implement the most severe and crippling sanctions against Russia. The crippling sanctions and export control mechanisms announced today will cost Russia, Putin, and his corrupt cronies dearly. We must continue to work with our NATO allies and the world community to increase the economic pressure on Putin.

This attack on Ukraine, a western democracy, is a direct threat to the national and economic security of the United States. We have already seen a jump in gas prices and turmoil in the stock market due to Putin’s actions. If he is succeeds, we can expect the United States to face not only a pacing threat from China but also an expansionist Russia that once again desires to dominate the former Soviet Republics along with wide swaths of Europe and the Middle East.

That is why we must inflict strict penalties against the Russian aggressors who have manufactured this needless war and provide the strongest possible support to the people of Ukraine. We must continue to put economic pressure on Russia, Putin, and his crony oligarchs. We must provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians fleeing his tyranny. And we must continue to provide lethal assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces and resistance fighting this Russian invasion.

America continues to stand for freedom and democracy. We cannot sit idly by while a democratic nation is trampled under the boot of an authoritarian dictator bent on remaking the international order in a way that threatens peace and prosperity for all.

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