WASHINGTON, D.C. (WJTV) – Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, and congressional leaders from Mississippi reacted to the incident.
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) addressed the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly about Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
My colleagues, Europe is at war at this very moment. The lives of tens of thousands of young Europeans hang in the balance at this very moment because of the delusional dictatorship currently in control in Russia and because of his brazen attack. The free world deserves better than this modern-day Adolf Hitler. If Vladimir Putin’s recent words and deeds have a haunting familiarity, it is because they are directly out of the Nazi madman’s notebook.
I mean no offense to the Russian delegates to this assembly. In effect, they have no alternative but to parrot the Putin line. If they took a position to the contrary, they would upon returning to Moscow meet a fate similar to those of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Boris Nemtsov, Sergei Magnitski, and Alexey Navalny.
I join the virtual unanimous denunciation by my OSCE colleagues of this outrage, of this trampling of seven decades of a rules-based world order. But I must use the few seconds I have today to sound a warning to the defensive military alliance to which most of us belong.
If Vladimir Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he will not stop there – just as he did not stop with Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Crimea, and the Donbass. How can any of us realistically believe he will stop with Ukraine? According to Putin’s twisted rationale, every former republic of the USSR is at risk. NATO is at risk. Every member of the peace-loving international community is at risk of being swept up into this conflict.
And, my colleagues, we are not ready. Our collective military capability is not sufficient to deter the aggression that the Russian dictator is likely to pursue. I will in the coming hours and days try to persuade my President Biden, and the House and Senate, to pass a supplemental national security spending bill immediately. I give the same warning to NATO. It is time for my government and the governments of all nations to rethink our priorities, and reorder the military capability of our alliance. Thank you.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) released a statement on Twitter that said, “The whole world must condemn Putin’s despicable attack on Ukraine, a free and sovereign nation. It’s a true threat to global security. The response from President Biden and our allies should ensure Putin pays dearly for this gross violation of international law.”
Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released the following statement along with Vice Chairman Ritchie Torres and Subcommittee Chairwoman Yvette Clarke.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a brazen assault on democracy, not just in Ukraine, but all democracies This unprovoked attack will have effects beyond Ukraine and surrounding countries. Indeed, we have already seen Russia use cyberattacks against Ukraine that risk effects outside its borders.
This is a time for Americans to be vigilant, particularly in the cyber domain. The threat in this domain is not new, but the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine may lead to more cyber attacks and more victim in America. We live in a free and open society, and that freedom can leave us vulnerable to these attacks from Russia and the criminal organizations it harbors. We urge all Americans to take prudent steps to protect themselves and their businesses online.
CISA has published very helpful, easy and practical steps to help Americans protect themselves. We appreciate the work they have done to help maintain this aspect of our Homeland Security, and we urge Americans to take advantage of CISA’s information and resources at this critical time.
Chairman Bennie Thompson, Vice Chairman Ritchie Torres, Subcommittee Chairwoman Yvette Clarke
Congressman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) released the following statement about the invastion.
Last night, Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion into the autonomous country of Ukraine. Despite his attempts to justify this direct breach of international law through falsehoods and lies, the world understands this move for what it is — a reckless and evil attempt to seize control of a sovereign and democratic country. The consequences of weak leadership during this time will result in devastating consequences for the world. If peace and democracy are to prevail, the United States and NATO must issue swift and crippling economic sanctions against Russia and its leaders responsible for these clear actions of war. I fully condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and I stand ready to join our leaders in Washington and across the world in holding Putin accountable for his actions.
Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss.
Congressman Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) released a statement on Twitter that said, “Putin just declared war on a sovereign nation in an unprovoked attack on our ally. There is no defense for hesitation from the White House.”
On Thursday, President Biden announced a host of additional sanctions Thursday to punish Russia for what he called “a premeditated attack” on Ukraine.
The new package of sanctions aims to cut Russia off from U.S. financial markets and includes freezing the assets of four major Russian banks, including VTB Bank, the nation’s second-biggest bank, Biden said Thursday.
Biden also said the U.S. is deploying additional forces to Germany to bolster NATO forces in the face of the Russian invasion.