WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the latest developments in negotiations over a peace deal for Ukraine:
“I have endeavored to give President Trump the space to negotiate a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which is a goal we both share. However, President Trump and his team have fatally mismanaged these negotiations – offering concession after concession to Russia, throwing away our leverage and fracturing the united front with our allies that is critical to ending this war. Nobody wants the bloodshed to end more than the Ukrainian people. This is why the Ukrainians have immediately agreed to each of the Administration’s proposed ceasefires only to watch Vladimir Putin impose additional conditions, break each negotiated ceasefire and increase the death toll in this bloody war. By announcing ceasefires on their own terms and stringing Trump along, Putin is playing for time – at a time we need to be playing to our own strengths. How we secure peace matters. President Putin has shown again and again that if you give him an inch, he will take a mile.
“Elements of the proposal, in particular de jure recognition of Russian control of occupied Crimea, would be an abrupt reversal of longstanding U.S. policy, bipartisan consensus of Congress and even the first Trump Administration’s own position. We cannot forget that Vladimir Putin took Crimea by brute force in 2014 and never answered for the atrocities he committed there. Recognizing Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea would invite additional aggression from Moscow and Beijing, which both have territorial ambitions towards their neighbors. We should not forget a fundamental lesson from World War II – rewarding aggression does not work.
“President Trump has rightly asked for Europeans to contribute more to European security and we see NATO allies answering that call. But as they are increasing defense spending and offering their troops to Ukraine, Europeans deserve a say in the resolution of this war, which is critical to their own security and ours. For a deal to be lasting, it needs buy-in from Ukraine, buy-in from Europe and buy-in from Congress. It also needs to deter Russia. What has reportedly been proposed fails each of these tests and seems only to serve the Kremlin.
“Rushing to secure a weak deal will only serve the Kremlin’s interest and will invite future conflict both in Ukraine and across the globe. We must ensure Ukraine has the resources, weapons and support it needs to finally bring Russia to the negotiating table for a lasting peace.”
###