Washington DC– On Saturday March 15, Congressman Mike Turner, Chairman of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), released the following statement in response to Ukrainian reports that Russia had sent troops outside the Crimean peninsula and onto the Ukrainian mainland for the first time:
“Putin's actions are a deliberate violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, a breach of Russian agreements to honor Ukraine's territorial integrity and a violation of international law. This clearly shows that Russia is an aggressor state and Pres. Obama's reset policies were misguided.
The United States must take swift action to support our NATO allies, support the Ukrainian people, and support the independent states that border Russia that are now fearful of future Russian aggression.
In addition, the President should seek economic sanctions against Russia and seek the export of US natural gas to European markets.”