WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined Chuck Todd on MSNBC’s “Meet the Press Daily” to discuss the latest on Vladimir Putin’s military buildup along the border with Ukraine. This week, Menendez convened a full Committee hearing and a classified briefing with senior Biden administration officials to discuss U.S.- Russia Policy and the likely U.S. response if Putin decides to invade Ukraine.
“I think that our most powerful choice in this regard is to make it clear that any invasion would bring the mother of all sanctions down on Putin,” Chairman Menendez said, emphasizing that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would trigger significant consequences for the Russian economy. “We are not going to send America’s sons and daughters to Ukraine, but what we are doing and what we should strengthen is the ability of Ukrainians to protect and defend themselves.”
Chairman Menendez has led the efforts in Congress to deter Russia from launching another incursion into Ukraine. He filed an amendment to the national defense bill currently under consideration in the Senate to significantly bolster U.S. support for Ukraine at this critical moment. The legislation would trigger a cascade of crushing and mandatory sanctions against senior Russian leaders, Russian financial institutions and other industries, and its ability to issue sovereign debt if Putin takes further action to invade or interfere with the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
###