WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: President Biden Stands Strong and Issues Sanctions Against Russian Aggression

Today, President Biden announced the first tranche of sanctions against Russia for their invasion of Ukraine. President Biden and the administration’s successful work to unite global partners and allies is a testament to the administration’s tireless diplomacy. 

Foreign policy leaders across the country praised President Biden’s leadership and forceful remarks today in response to Russian aggression: 

Retired 4-star General Wes Clark: “Great remarks by @POTUS Clear, forceful, perfect pitch. Russia the aggressor. NATO standing firm. Every American should be proud of his leadership!”

Michael McFaul: “I applaud the new sanctions just announced by @POTUS.”

Daily Beast’s David Rothkopf: “This was not just an example of a good performance by the president or presentation of professional crafted well-calibrated set of measures, it was also the result of tireless diplomacy and behind the scenes preparation.” 

CNN’s Jim Sciutto: “These are significant sanctions, especially cutting off Russia from western financing. I don’t believe Putin calculated the US and Europe had it in them.”

Washington Post Opinion Columnist Jennifer Rubin: “A fine speech. Serious sanctions as promised. Biden’s critics who acted as stooges for Trump and Putin will still whine. They might as well put on their Team Russia shirts.”

Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima: “‘A shot across the bow,’ sanctions expert @edwardfishman described it to me. ‘By targeting VEB the Biden administration is indicating its readiness to use its most devastating tool’ against Russian state-owned banks. I.e. if Putin escalates, expect more to come.”

President of Eurasia Group Ian Bremmer: “today’s us/eu sanctions on russia are significant and—most importantly—unified. if putin thought his speech yesterday would drive a spike in the nato alliance he was seriously mistaken”

Boris Zilberman: “Good to see real sovereign debt sanctions being rolled out. Been talked about for years…”

President of the Center for European Policy Analysis Dr. Alina Polyakova: “The Biden Administration has done an impressive diplomatic job coordinating the allies. And Germany took the difficult step of stopping Nord Stream 2.”

And there’s bipartisan agreement that President Biden is taking strong, swift, and appropriate action to defend our allies.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski: “As of this morning, Nord Stream 2 has been halted. Sanctions are being imposed. That’s absolutely necessary. And we are entering a new phase of this crisis.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “I support @POTUS imposing sanctions for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Together with our NATO allies and international partners, the United States should continue using all diplomatic, political, and economic tools to stop further Russian aggression against the Ukrainian people.”

Sen. Tom Carper: “Moments of crisis are when we look to our leaders for principled vision and strength. @POTUS is meeting the moment today with his announcement of strong new sanctions on the Kremlin. This is a smart policy choice that will deliver a clear, unequivocal message to Putin”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen: “Putin’s efforts to divide NATO have only strengthened the transatlantic alliance. Glad @POTUS is heeding my calls and others’ to impose sanctions. Congress must explore new avenues to provide military assistance so Ukraine can defend itself.”

Rep. Adam Smith: “NS2 will not move forward. Russian oligarchs are losing access to the global financial system. As @POTUS just said, these consequences are just a taste of what Russia’s economy faces if Putin’s aggression against Ukraine continues. We are united in holding him accountable.”

Rep. Tom Malinowski: “The Biden administration has done an amazingly good job building a coalition to respond to this kind of moment. […] In this case, the coalition is ready, the sanctions are ready. In effect, Joe Biden has built a prison for Putin before the crime was committed.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree: “.@POTUS is right to join our European allies in issuing this first set of strong sanctions against Russia + its oligarchs. We should be very clear about what is happening: Vladimir Putin has created this international crisis by attempting to overthrow a sovereign democracy.”

Rep. Mike Levin: “I fully support President Biden’s move to impose significant sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States and our allies will ensure Vladimir Putin faces severe consequences for violating international law.”

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