WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the following statement regarding the administration’s announcement that it has imposed new U.S. sanctions against Russian entities in the banking, energy and defense sectors, including Gazprombank, Novatek, Rosneft and Vnesheconombank (VEB bank):
“While the delay in imposing real costs on Russia has been damaging to U.S. credibility, today’s announcement by the administration is definitely a step in the right direction,” said Corker. “For months, we've been calling for sanctions against these very entities in Russia’s energy and financial sectors, and we will continue to urge the administration to ratchet up even more pressure if Putin does not change his behavior.”
Senator Corker introduced legislation in April as a strategic response to Russian aggression in Europe that would strengthen the NATO alliance, impose tough sanctions to deter further Russian aggression, including against Rosneft, Novatek, Gazprombank and VEB, and provide support to non-NATO partners of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
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