Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
June 4, 2021 | Portman Difference
This week, as part of his bipartisan congressional delegation to Eastern Europe, Senator Portman participated in an interview in Kyiv with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), where he highlighted the security threat posed by the continued surge of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Crimea, despite Russia claiming to have recalled these troops in recent weeks. Portman called on Russia to end its illegal occupation of Crimea and return the territory to Ukraine. He also reiterated U.S. support for the continued reforms by Ukraine to solidify its democracy and put it on the path to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
A write-up and video clip of the interview can be found here. Selected excerpts can be found below.
Interview: Senators Tell RFE/RL Putin Must Be Confronted About Efforts To ‘Undermine American Democracy’
By Olena Removska
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
…Portman said Russia’s continued interference in the conflict in Ukraine’s east, and its presence in Crimea, mean that Putin should be told directly that he should finally allow Ukraine to be a sovereign country.
“Give back Crimea. It was an illegal annexation. We heard that there are Russian troops inside Ukrainian territory,” Portman said, adding that the recent deployment of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Crimea has not been completely reversed, despite claims to the contrary by Moscow.
“The concern that has been heightened in the last few weeks was the Russian deployment of 100,000 to 115,000 troops in the area. And when they said they would pull back to their bases, some reporters reported that, taking them at their word,” Portman said. “But the intelligence does not confirm that and it indicates that only a small number have left – maybe 10 to 20 percent based on the data that we have – and that the equipment was largely left behind, meaning that they could very quickly come back and rejoin that equipment and provide this additional threat to the sovereignty of Ukraine,” Portman said.
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Referring to Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO, Portman said that Kyiv will continue to enjoy U.S. support in its drive to implement the reforms needed to demonstrate that Ukraine is adhering to Western values…
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