Rep. Veasey Statement on Unlawful Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Washington, DC - Rep. Marc Veasey, member of the House Armed Services Committee and Helsinki Commission, issued the following statement in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine that occurred this week:

"The events that have unfolded in the past couple of days have been deeply troubling, and let me be clear, they are the work of one man: Vladimir Putin. His intentions are entirely at odds with the Ukrainian people and the rest of the free world.

"I have long supported the Biden Administration's diplomatic efforts, but for those to be effective, Russia must be interested in diplomatic avenues. Unfortunately, as President Biden mentioned earlier this week, Putin has no interest in diplomacy, and he planned to invade Ukraine all along.

"In response, President Biden has announced robust sanctions that I strongly support. These sanctions will isolate and turn Russia into a pariah state by going after Putin's oligarchs worldwide, limiting Russian banks from access to capital, and preventing Russia from importing things they need to keep their economy going.

"We must make sure our NATO allies can protect themselves through the deployment of F-35s and other artillery. And most importantly, we must continue to support Ukraine with the necessary weapons to push back their aggressors and help refugees who will flee Ukraine to neighboring countries.

"This must be a moment where the world takes a strong stand against authoritarians like Putin. If not, others around the world will see this as an opening to violate the sovereignty of their neighbors, which we must not let happen."