Shaheen Applauds New Sanctions on Russia for Aggression Towards Ukraine

(Washington, DC) — U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, issued the following statement after the Trump administration implemented sanctions on Russian individuals and entities who have been involved in attacks on Ukrainian naval vessels in the Kerch Strait:   

“Five years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people continue to be killed, captured and targeted by the Kremlin,” said Shaheen. “Today’s sanctions designations should remind Putin that the West continues to be unified in its approach toward the Kremlin’s aggression in Ukraine, and we will always reject Russia’s purported annexation of Crimea. I commend the administration for imposing these overdue sanctions with our European and Canadian allies and look forward to our continued work on a bipartisan basis to hold Russia accountable.” 

Senator Shaheen recently introduced the bipartisan Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act (DASKA) of 2019 with Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). The comprehensive legislation seeks to increase economic, political and diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation in response to Russia’s interference in democratic processes abroad, malign influence in Syria, and aggression against Ukraine, including in the Kerch Strait. 

Senator Shaheen has led efforts in Congress to hold Russia accountable for its election interference, and was the first legislator to call for hearings on their attack on our democracy. Because of her role as a negotiator on Russia sanctions legislation known as “CAATSA” and her efforts to hold Russia accountable for its aggression, Shaheen was sanctioned by the Kremlin in 2017. Shaheen has also led the call for the Trump administration to allow for Congress to receive testimony from the United States interpreter present in President Trump and Vladimir Putin’s private meeting in Helsinki, Finland. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Senator Shaheen questioned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding the President’s meeting with Putin, and why the Trump administration continues to leave Congress and the American people in the dark regarding the private meeting.