WASHINGTON DC (January 25, 2019) — US Sen Chuck Grassley of Iowa joined Sen Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Sen Richard Durbin of Illinois, and 61 of their colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution that calls for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation operation in the Black Sea and the cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in response to Russia’s aggressive actions in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov.
“Vladimir Putin’s regime is bent on undermining western democracies. Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty proves just that,” Grassley said. “Now is a critical time for the United States to stand in solidarity with its Western allies against Russia’s aggression or else Putin will continue to bully neighbors that do not tow the Russian line.”
“It has been two months since Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in international waters, and still neither the vessels nor the crews have been returned to Ukraine. The international community has largely moved on without an adequate response. This is exactly the wrong message to send to Vladimir Putin,” Johnson said. “Moscow’s action is testing Western resolve and if we fail to respond with strength, more will follow. We must not let that happen.”
“Russia’s continued provocative military actions and revelations about its extensive cyber disinformation campaigns in the US should be warnings to the rest of the world that Vladimir Putin has no intention of stopping his aggressive campaign against Western democracies or Ukraine,” Durbin said. “President Trump must work with key Western allies to stop this Russian assault on democracy and Ukrainian sovereignty. I am proud to support this resolution and urge my colleagues to reaffirm this message of deterring further aggression from the Russian Federation.”
Full text of the resolution can be found here.
Cosponsors of the resolution are Sens. James Risch of Idaho, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas, Mike Braun of Indiana, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Tom Carper of Delaware, Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, Susan Collins of Maine, Christopher Coons of Delaware, John Cornyn of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Ted Cruz of Texas, Steve Daines of Montana, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Doug Jones of Alabama, Tim Kaine of Virginia, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Joe Machin of West Virginia , Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Jerry Moran of Kansas, David Perdue of Georgia, Gary Peters of Michigan, Rob Portman of Ohio, Pat Roberts of Kansas, Mitt Romney of Utah, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Marco Rubio of Florida, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, John Thune of South Dakota, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Todd Young of Indiana.
