Bipartisan Senators Call for Tightened Sanctions on Russia, Increased Military Aid to Ukraine

Press Release

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), John McCain (R-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) today urged Secretary of State John Kerry to immediately tighten international sanctions against Russia and provide defensive weapons to Ukraine so it can defend its territorial sovereignty. They called on Secretary Kerry to redouble efforts to ensure Ukraine's long term political and economic future in the face of Russian destabilization.

"Many of us were extremely doubtful that Russia would respect the terms of the second Minsk agreement, given it has utterly failed to abide by the Minsk Protocol reached in September," the Senators wrote. "In fact, Putin's duplicity regarding these agreements has been matched only by his delusional denials of Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine. With the potential of such an unacceptable outcome imposed by force, thousands already killed and wounded, and hundreds of thousands displaced, it is time to provide defensive weapons to Ukraine and to consider imposing additional sanctions and penalties that will increase the cost of Putin's actions."