U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson said Thursday that Russia’s president is responsible for an “unwarranted and unprompted unilateral attack” upon Ukraine, which is the most significant infringement between two states since World War II.
“Unanswered, these actions will only further embolden dictators like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and other regimes around the world,” Thompson, R-Centre County, said in a statement. “America and our allies in Europe must stand strong against forces that look to destabilize long-standing peace and respond with swift economic sanctions.”
President Joe Biden, European Union leaders and other Western allies announced a round of sanctions against Russian banks and top companies while also imposed export controls aimed at squeezing out Russian industries and military of semiconductors and other high-tech materials.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said in a statement that while the sanctions announced Thursday “are a small step in the right direction,” he was concerned they wouldn’t be enough to deter Putin from further aggression.
“By failing to impose significant sanctions on the Russian oil and gas industry, which accounts for the majority of all Russian exports, the administration is intentionally leaving the biggest industry in Russia’s economy virtually untouched,” Toomey said.
As of Thursday, Biden held off on imposing some of the strongest measures against Russia, including cutting Russia out of the SWIFT payment system, which allows for the transfers of money from bank to bank around the globe. The Associated Press reported that Ukraine’s president called for Russia to be cast out of SWIFT, but the U.S. has expressed concern about the potential damage to European economies.
Toomey said the sanctions imposed on Russian banks might not isolate the Russian financial system from international activity. He argued again that the U.S. should impose crippling sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas sector as well as Iran-style secondary sanctions on Russian banks that force the world to choose between doing business with Russia or the U.S.
“Meanwhile, it’s imperative that the U.S. step up its efforts to aid and equip Ukrainian freedom fighters,” Toomey said. “This includes supplying them with weapons, logistics support and intelligence. Now is the time for the U.S. and our allies to send a strong message to the world: We stand with the Ukrainian people.”
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said Putin’s invasion of Ukraine “is an effort to upend international order, undermine democracy and amass power at all costs.”
Casey said Putin and his government have perpetuated hostile attacks against Ukraine and the international community, from the annexation of Crimea to sponsoring militant groups including those responsible for the deliberate downing of Malaysian Airlines flight 17 to interfering in U.S. elections.
Casey charged that Putin was “emboldened” by former President Donald Trump, from Trump’s “disturbing comments in Helsinki to his approval of the invasion earlier this week.”
Casey said Biden and international leaders “have acted swiftly” to impose financial sanctions and will continue to respond with “major consequences” for Putin’s aggressiveness.
“This invasion highlights the need to continue to strengthen the global alliance of democracies, including NATO, against authoritarianism and those regimes blatantly violating the international rules-based order and basic principles of sovereignty,” he said.
Casey said the U.S. stands by the Ukrainian people and the nation will work with its allies in Europe to support their needs.
“Our first priority is the safety and security of the American people, especially American troops and Americans in Ukraine, but we will do all that we can to support the Ukrainian people in the face of President Putin’s unprovoked attack,” he said.
