Washington: Senate Republicans have slammed President Barack Obama’s response to Russian aggression as timid and insufficient, and offered an alternative that would impose sanctions on banking and energy sectors and provide weapons to Ukraine.
In an election-year broadside against administration policy, eight Republicans led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled a package of penalties on Russians, assistance for NATO and exportation of US natural gas. The senators on Wednesday said they hoped to secure Democratic support and, at a minimum, force the White House to develop a cohesive strategy rather than its ad hoc response.
“Without being overly partisan,” McConnell, who faces re-election this year, said of the administration, “I’m deeply disappointed with the tepid response to Russian aggression.”
The US and the European Union imposed new sanctions against government officials in Moscow and some businesses this week, the latest round of penalties in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the increasing unrest in eastern Ukraine.
In the latest development, Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, said the country’s police and security forces are helpless to quell unrest in two eastern regions bordering Russia, and in some cases are cooperating with pro-Russian gunmen who have seized government buildings and taken hostages. Russia has been emboldened, placing tens of thousands of troops near the border with Ukraine and increasing fears in Ukraine of an invasion. (AP)
