By Eric Ham
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – President Biden Tuesday said he has not verified Russia claims it is withdrawing some forces from nearby Ukraine as Republicans prepare their own sanctions legislation.
In a brief statement delivered as U.S. stocks were posting gains on the possibility of a Russian drawdown, the president tempered the optimism with remarks that suggested there has been no change.
‘The Russian defense minister reported today that some military units are leaving their positions near Ukraine,” Biden said. “That would be good but we have not yet verified that. We have not yet verified that the Russian military units are returning to their home bases.”
Analysts, in fact, he said, “indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position,” with more than 150,000 troops “encircling Ukraine.”
Biden continued, “We should give the diplomacy every chance to proceed,” while again warning U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine now. “We will not sacrifice basic principles.”
Meanwhile bipartisan talks in the U.S. Senate on a unified Russia sanctions bill failed. As a result, Senate Republicans are going it alone in the ongoing standoff with Ukraine.
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell set the tone, saying earlier that, “I hope the administration is not going to wait until after an incursion to turn the screws and put some real sanctions on the Russians. At that point,” he said, “arguably, it’s a little too later.”
Led by Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) – the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – the newly introduced legislation would sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the proposed pipeline that will carry gas from Russia to Germany. Additional sanctions would immediately go into effect on Russian banks and Russian officials as individuals
The congressional bill, known as the “Never Yielding Europe’s Territory” or NYET Act, was introduced after lawmakers struggled to reach an bipartisan agreement. It is unclear if the legislation has a pathway for passage out of both chambers and to President Biden’s desk.
Currently, the House of Representatives is away on break and the Senate prepares to break for one week beginning Friday. Approximately 30 Republican lawmakers are currently supporting the legislation.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, after the president spoke, emphasized that the administration does not need legislation in order to impose sanctions.
In addition to sanctions on Russia, the legislation provides support for Ukraine. The bill includes financial assistance for the country,, speeds up arms sales to the threatened nation, gives the Pentagon new funding for military exercises in Europe, and boosts funding for combating Russian disinformation.
In a statement, Sen. Risch stated, “While a military invasion has not yet occurred, there are other ways Russia can attack Ukraine that would be debilitating for Ukrainians and European security more generally.”
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee initially sought to introduce a Democratic-led sanctions bill but was unable to get GOP support. Senators have been stuck on disagreements related to secondary sanctions on Russia’s banks and additional plans for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Senators are also working on a non-binding resolution to offer support from Ukraine, which would need buy-in from all 100 senators, or a joint statement from Senate leadership and committee leadership.
“We are right now in the process of trying to put a bipartisan statement together. McConnell and I are working on this with the chairs and ranking members of relevant committees. And we hope to have that statement very soon as soon as today,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters.
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Contact this reporter: eric@macenews.com
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