Rep. Peter Welch's Statement on Russian Aggression in Ukraine

Statement

Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement in support of President Biden's decision to impose sanctions on Russia, following the deployment of Russian troops in Ukraine.

"President Putin's unilateral actions in Ukraine are indefensible and dangerous. By sending Russian troops to territories in Ukraine, Putin is starting a war of aggression and a war of choice, all to expand territorial Russia. It violates international law and international norms to respect sovereign national boundaries. It will not end well. War in Ukraine will lead to a humanitarian disaster and have far reaching impacts throughout the world.

The U.S. and our European allies are united in an effort to implement robust economic sanctions to punish Russia for its aggression. But we must not abandon our diplomatic efforts to prevent the escalation of this ruinous war.

And this is not the time for big oil companies to try to profiteer off of this conflict by dramatically increasing the price of oil. Instead, oil companies should resist the excuse of Russia's aggression to impose price increases at the pump. Congress must be ready to investigate and take action against oil companies that try to use this moment to profit at the expense of American consumers."

Source