Dick Durbin Touts Major Sanctions Bill To 'Force Putin To The Table' Amid Stalling Ceasefire Talks

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks the Senate floor Monday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke about a bipartisan Senate sanctions package.

Transcript

00:00Mr. President, on a separate topic, there recently were efforts in Istanbul to advance

00:05peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

00:09After three years of this bloody war in Ukraine, it is clear that we should move as quickly

00:15as possible to a peaceful resolution and the end of hostilities.

00:20I wish I could say I was surprised that Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to attend,

00:26but I wasn't.

00:28Anyone following this war can clearly see that Vladimir Putin isn't serious about ending

00:33this bloody conflict, which he started.

00:35There was some confusion in the early days of the Trump administration, and they were

00:41blaming the Ukrainians for invading themselves, which made no sense whatsoever.

00:47It was Putin's idea, and he executed it.

00:50Let's not forget that 11 years ago, he militarily seized Crimea and other parts of eastern Ukraine.

00:57More than three years ago, Putin tried to take over Ukraine itself and install a puppet regime

01:03beholden to him.

01:05With advanced warning and weapons from the United States, the brave Ukrainians defied the experts.

01:12They said the Ukrainians couldn't last two weeks defending their country against the second-largest

01:17military in the world.

01:19The experts were wrong.

01:21Those Ukrainians have protected their independence from their brutality, but at great cost in

01:26lives, destruction, and territory.

01:29The costs have been staggering.

01:31Thousands of individuals have lost their lives because of this Russian invasion.

01:37Countless children were abducted from their schools and homes by the Russians and sent for indoctrination

01:45in Russia itself.

01:47Desperate use of North Korean and Iranian assistance, Russian sabotage, mayhem, and threats to our

01:53NATO allies across Europe, all inspired by one man, Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia.

02:00Why do I revisit the obvious?

02:02Because it's been obvious for more than a decade that Vladimir Putin isn't interested

02:06in ending the war, obvious to everyone except perhaps our own president.

02:13President Trump promised that he would end this war on his first day in office.

02:18Instead, Trump and his vice president publicly humiliated Ukrainian President Zelensky when he visited

02:25the White House and made embarrassing overtures to Putin.

02:30Putin's response has been to thumb his nose at the U.S. in peace efforts.

02:34In fact, already this year, civilian Ukrainian deaths from Russian attacks are higher than

02:40they were last year.

02:42And assaults on civilian targets in the last two weeks alone have been relentless.

02:47People are dying because of these drones and bombs and artillery.

02:52I want this war to end, but it should not be a blatant giveaway to Vladimir Putin or driven

02:58by any illusion about Putin's long-term intentions to control Ukraine and weaken the NATO alliance.

03:06Nor can it be done at the security expense of the Baltic and Polish allies who are also in

03:13Putin's crosshairs.

03:15That is why Leader Thune, here in the Senate, needs to immediately put Senator Graham's Russia

03:20sanctions bill, which I and 80 other senators have co-sponsored on the floor for a vote.

03:26Let me tell you about this bill.

03:28Senator Graham's Russian sanctions bill, where I was an early co-sponsor, now has 80 total

03:35co-sponsors, maybe more now, 80 co-sponsors, Democrats and Republicans.

03:42This bill would impose primary and secondary sanctions on those supporting Russia's war in

03:47Ukraine if Putin refuses to engage in good faith peace negotiations or initiates another

03:53effort, including military invasion, that undermines the sovereignty of Ukraine after any such peace

04:00is negotiated.

04:02This bipartisan legislation imposes a 500 percent tariff on imported goods from countries that

04:09buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products.

04:14Fortunately, many European countries have already ceased their dependence on Russia for gas and oil.

04:19Behind the scenes, and amid brazen indifference by Putin to negotiate, Senator Graham, a Republican, and other

04:27Republicans, such as Senator Grassley of Iowa, have wanted to move the bill forward in the Senate, but keep

04:34getting asked by the White House to wait.

04:36We cannot wait any longer.

04:38Innocent people are dying because of Putin's aggression.

04:41Russian assaults on Ukraine have continued with attacks during the first quarter this year, even worse than last year.

04:48And Trump seems unwilling to do what is necessary to force Putin to the table.

04:55My colleague and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee recently argued it's also time for us to prepare

05:02another Ukraine supplemental.

05:04Ukraine needs the equipment and the ammunition to defend this nation against Putin's invasion.

05:11We cannot give up on them.

05:13We should not give up on them.

05:14Ukraine's delegation is back in Istanbul today and will again reiterate its support for an immediate ceasefire

05:22and call for the further release of prisoners in return of thousands of children kidnapped by Russia

05:28and snatched away from their families in Ukraine.

05:31But Putin has yet to even formally offer his demands, and a breakthrough today is not really expected.

05:38President Trump, the whole world is watching the United States to see if you will stand firm against Putin,

05:44especially those other adversaries.

05:47Putin is not our friend and is not a friend of the United States.

05:51You do not want our, Mr. President, you do not want our legacy to be appeasement and surrender to Russia

05:57and a weakening of our transatlantic security.

05:59Mr. President, I yield the floor, and suggest the

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