Kirk Calls for Tougher Sanctions Against Putin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) released the following statement in reaction to the announcement by President Obama regarding additional sanctions against Russia. Since Russia’s occupation of Crimea in March and its ongoing efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine, Senator Kirk has been one of the leading voices in the Senate calling for increased sanctions on the Russian economy that would force President Putin to put an end to Russian-sponsored terrorism in Ukraine and the continued violation of Ukrainian sovereignty:
“Today’s actions by the President and the Europeans are welcome, but we must move quickly to deter Putin,” Senator Kirk said. “Following the attack of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 by Russian-sponsored terrorists, and the confirmed shelling of Ukrainian territory by Russian armed forces, we stand on the cusp of the most serious armed conflict in Europe since the end of the Cold War.
“The Obama Administration and our EU partners now need to follow the successful path of 2011-2013 that delivered tough sanctions on Iran, which isolated Tehran from the global financial system and brought the mullahs to the negotiating table. The international community must send a message to Putin that if his government continues to act as a state-sponsor of terror, the civilized world will respond swiftly and decisively.”
Background:
- Senator Kirk and 37 GOP sent a letter to President Obama on March 26, 2014 requesting that any plans to share sensitive missile and defense information be canceled effective immediately, which can be read here.
- Russia, like Iran, is a petrostate heavily dependent on energy revenues to prop up its economy.
- In 2012, 52% of Russia’s budget was represented by oil and gas revenues.
- On May 14, 2014, Senator Kirk penned an op-ed in the Chicago Sun Times calling for more aggressive sanctions against the Russian government, similiar to sanctions that had been placed against the Iranian regime.
- As part of the Russian Aggression Prevention Act, S. 2277, which Senator Kirk cosponsored, Republicans already outlined the next steps, which should include:
- Cut all senior Russian officials, their companies, and their supporters off from the world’s financial system.
- Target any Russian entities owned by the Russian government or sanctioned individuals across the arms, defense, energy, financial services, metals, or mining sectors in Russia.
- Ban Russian banks from the U.S. banking system.
