Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
February 22, 2022 | Press Releases
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, issued the following statement in response to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine:
“Over the last eight years, I’ve been very clear in my opposition to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and backing of the separatist movements in the Donetsk and Luhansk territories with advisors, intelligence support and weapons. Russia has also issued over a million Russian passports to the residents of these regions in an attempt to legitimize their illegal activities. The actions taken by Russia yesterday to now send regular Russian combat forces into the Donbas and to recognize these regions as independent is a major escalation and clear violation of Russia’s international commitments under the Budapest Memorandum and the Minsk agreements.
“The Biden administration has promised rigorous and devastating sanctions in the event of renewed Russian invasion. The recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk territories by President Putin and the subsequent invasion and occupation by Russian military combat formations represents a serious escalation in the eight-year conflict which has killed more than 14,000 Ukrainians within Ukraine’s sovereign territory.
“When Russia illegally annexed Crimea and essentially occupied the Donbas eight years ago, the United States and our allies west did not impose the kind of strong sanctions that were needed to create a deterrent to Russian malign actions. I encourage the Biden administration to impose devastating sanctions now as a means to deter further Russian military operations against our ally Ukraine. Our European allies have begun implementing sanctions and ours must go further in holding President Putin and Russian entities accountable for their illegal actions.”
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