Inhofe condemns Putin's invasion, says "Putin’s ambitions won’t stop with Ukraine"

Sen. Inhofe with members of the OK Nat'l Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Ukraine in 2017.

Inhofe Statement on Putin's Escalating Invasion in Ukraine

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on Russia’s escalation of their invasion into Ukraine:

“My prayers are with the brave men, women, and children of Ukraine, who are suffering an unprecedented, unwarranted and unprovoked attack ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“For months, we’ve seen this coming - but Putin’s massive, shameful breach of international protocol is shocking and devastating nonetheless. 

“While I am continuing to monitor the situation as events unfold, I believe it is in our country’s best interest to respond strongly - by providing additional defensive aid to continue to help our Ukrainian friends defend themselves and by sending additional resources to our troops in Eastern Europe who are working alongside our NATO allies to deter this aggression from spreading further; and by imposing the most severe economic costs on Putin and his inner circle for this grave misstep. To be clear: Putin’s ambitions won’t stop with Ukraine - unless America and our allies stop Putin. 

“After Putin invaded Crimea in 2014, it became clear that the Obama-Biden administration’s tepid response was ineffectual at deterring Russian aggression. Since then, I have supported the Senate Armed Services Committee-led effort to bolster Ukraine’s ability to defend itself through what is now the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. I now call upon the Biden administration and my colleagues to work together quickly to deter Putin from continuing down this path, to continue military support to Ukraine under these new dire circumstances, and to further bolster European security in the face of what will amount to the biggest threat to democracy since the Soviet Union fell.”