Southern California Members of Congress Call for Severe Sanctions Against Russia – Orange County Register

Southern California members of Congress are calling for stiff sanctions against Russia after reports that President Vladimir Putin had sent troops into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, raising concerns that A full-scale invasion of Ukraine is imminent.

Representative Young Kim, R-La Habra, tweeted Tuesday: “US restraint has not stopped Putin. “We need crippling sanctions now!”

The local reaction comes after a speech on Tuesday, where President Joe Biden announced what he called the “first wave” of US sanctions on Russia that essentially cut the country off. from Western financial resources. Europe and the UK also announced sanctions, saying they had frozen the assets of several Russian oligarchs and canceled the certification of a key natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. and other countries.

Representative Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, said in a statement that he looks forward to the Biden Administration and its allies “to continue to implement increasingly severe sanctions against Vladimir Putin, his friends and the Russian government, as promised”, the call by Russia to invade the territories of eastern Ukraine is “a blatant attack on international law.”

Representative Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said no matter what excuse Putin gave for his actions, “the truth is that ultimately Putin is seeking to restore the Soviet Union in all the countries of the former Soviet Union. .”

Levin and Representative Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, said they remained hopeful for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

“Any diplomatic effort is worth it if it can prevent war,” Schiff tweeted. “I applaud President Biden for all his efforts to achieve peace. Standing firm means never closing the door to diplomacy.”

Meanwhile, Representative Darrell Issa, R-Vista, mocked those efforts on Twitter.

“Is this a bad time to remind everyone that the Biden White House has gleefully announced ‘Diplomacy is back’?” Issa tweeted. He also described Biden’s response to the situation so far as weak, tweeting, “On day one, Biden has imposed tougher US energy sanctions than any opponent. any foreign country.”

Representative Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, said in a February 17 appearance on the Sara Carter Show podcast that the United States hasn’t done a good job over the past 30 years of putting Ukraine “in the dark.” However, he said: “Biden got the green light,” citing moves such as the Biden administration reaching an agreement with Germany last year to allow Nord Stream 2’s controversial natural gas pipeline Russia is continued. (That pipeline’s certification was canceled on Tuesday.)

“Putin knows Biden has no backbone,” Garcia said.

However, while Calvert voiced support for “lethal and non-lethal aid” to Ukraine, Garcia opposed sending US troops.

“At this point, we have to try to do everything we can from a non-dynamic point of view, not to use troops in Ukraine, to deter Russia,” Garcia said.

Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, said in a video shared on social media, whether we “join a large-scale war” will largely depend on whether Putin can continue to invade areas currently controlled by Ukrainian forces or not.

While Garcia said we cannot distract Ukraine from the “real threat” posed by China, Lieu said that Putin’s actions now show that “Mitt Romney was right to call Russia a local enemy number one politics”.

Some local Democrats are pointing the finger at former President Donald Trump, saying his actions set the stage for what is happening.

“Any violence in Ukraine will be the fault of Russia and Russia alone. Putin has chosen a war,” Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, tweeted Tuesday. “But it’s important to understand how he was encouraged by Trump’s actions.” Chu then shared links outlining how the GOP in 2016 backed Ukraine out of its platform, how Trump in 2019 “aid to Ukraine depends on election interference,” and how Trump tries to withdraw the United States from NATO.

Some GOP figures who have had close ties to Trump, such as Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have downplayed the Russian invasion or stayed silent on the subject. And Trump himself told a conservative podcaster on Tuesday that he views Putin’s claim that parts of Ukraine are independent and allied with Russia as “genius.”

However, Mr. Kim on Tuesday went on to say that Russia is “invading a sovereign country” and that she supports the US and its allies in “swiftly implementing severe sanctions against Putin and Russia to increase support for Ukraine.”

Schiff said that while Putin’s actions over the past few days “show that our worst fears that Russia’s intentions towards Ukraine could come true,” he said, “there is still time to be Putin chooses diplomacy. He must.

“But make no mistake – we will stand in solidarity with our NATO allies in response to whatever comes next.”