U.S. Senate Foreign Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said that the country has to “make it very clear to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that the consequences begin now.”
“I think they need to be severe sanctions. I think we can stop equivocating as to whether we have an invasion or not. I think the west—the United States—has to make it very clear to Putin that the consequences begin now,” Menendez said CNN today.
“And for me, that means taking, for example, the waivers off of Nord Stream 2 so that it is officially dead. It means sanctioning Russian banks. It means sanctioning Russian oligarchs that are holding Putin’s monies. It also means sanctioning Russian sovereign debt. Those are just some of the beginning salvos that need to be imposed …”
New Jersey’s senior senator added that he believes there are more Russian forces in Ukraine today when there were yesterday.
“Putin has told the world what he’s going to do. He’s told us he is going to recognize these areas. The next thing is annexation of these areas and then he’s going to do that by force. I don’t know what we need to wait for,” Menendez continued.
“What we can’t have here is another Munich moment. And the West has to decide whether it’s going to allow more and more European land to be taken over by force or whether we are going to stand up to Putin.”
Minutes ago, President Joe Biden (D) announced sanctions against Russia, calling it the “beginning” of an invasion of Ukraine, USA Today reported.