West Virginia Representatives Condemn Attack on Ukraine
Smoke and flame rise near a military building after an apparent Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russian troops have launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine. Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa as world leaders decried the start of an Russian invasion that could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government.
February 24, 2022
On Thursday, Feb. 24, West Virginia legislators urge the United States to side with Ukraine in the midst of a Russian invasion.
In an official statement, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said, “In response to the direct invasion of a sovereign state, the United States and our allies around the globe must take immediate action and impose crippling sanctions to address Russia’s anti-democratic, aggressive actions.”
In his statement, Sen. Manchin touched on how defending the autonomy of nations across the globe has served as a guiding priority in the United States for years. He said that Russia’s “blatant act of war” endangered not only the United States, but also American allies in the Ukrainian region.
Joining in the same condemnation of Russia’s attack as Sen. Manchin, Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) said in her own official statement that “the United States stands united behind Ukraine in their fight for freedom and democracy, and against evil and terror.”
Rep. Miller also said, “”I am fully supportive of the strongest possible sanctions against Russia, including freezing the assets of Vladimir Putin and every Russian oligarch, and immediately distributing that money to the people of Ukraine.”
Other solutions she described included dismantling the SWIFT banking system in Ukraine, in addition to the United States increasing its energy output so as to keep energy prices stable around the world during this crisis. These solutions coincided with the “economic sanctions” mentioned by Sen. Manchin in his statement.
Both Sen. Manchin and Rep. Miller held Vladimir Putin accountable for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Vladimir Putin will be held accountable,” Rep. Miller said.
“Vladimir Putin has made his intentions clear,” Sen. Manchin said, “and is now acting on his longtime and dangerous ambitions… Vladimir Putin has shown us who he is and we cannot try to appease him or sacrifice our national security and that of our allies.”
