Ranking Member Shaheen Presses Secretary Rubio on Trump Administration’s Total Failure to Hold Russia Accountable

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pressed Secretary Rubio during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs hearing on the Trump Administration's complete failure to pressure Putin and bring him to the negotiating table.

During her questioning, Senator Shaheen slammed the President's decision to provide Russia sanctions relief to sell oil and earn huge windfall profits due to the Iran War. Senator Shaheen also stressed the strong bipartisan support in Congress to impose additional sanctions on the Kremlin, provide additional support to Ukraine and make clear to Putin that time is not on his side.

Key quotes:

• "Negotiations have failed because Russia, not Ukraine, has strung along the Administration in its efforts to get a peace deal. The only way to end this war on lasting terms is for President Trump to finally put some real pressure on Vladimir Putin."

• "This is the time, Mr. Secretary, for us to increase pressure on Russia. And what have we done instead of that? We have done exactly what Senator Moran said: we've lifted the general license and are allowing the Russians to make four billion dollars a month because of the lifting of the sanctions on its oil."

• "Now is the time to put pressure on Russia because Russia is feeling it. So, let's put pressure on them, let's get them to the negotiating table and let's get a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. And that is not going to happen as long as we are pussyfooting around with Vladimir Putin and letting him get away with stringing the president along."

• "There is bipartisan agreement in this Senate that we should be putting more pressure on Russia and that the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill would do that in a way that would force Russia to come to the table and finally fulfill the promise that President Trump made to end the war on day one-that is what he said when he was running for president-and here we are almost a year and a half into this Administration and he has let Russia and Putin off the hook."

Watch the full questioning here.

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