Amid the likelihood of a Russian “invasion,” Republican members of the United States Senate have proposed legislation that would punish Moscow and support Kiev in the event of an attack on Ukraine, according to a copy of the law issued on Tuesday. Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a press release that U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who is a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, prompted a majority of his Republican peers to cede the territory of the never yielding Europe (NYET) law.
This NYET law would provide Ukraine with the significant support it needs to defend and protect itself and would deter “Russian aggression” while “imposing a real cost on the Kremlin for its ongoing and potential future aggression against Ukraine.” ‘ as stated in the press release. In addition, the law will actually impose costs on Russia, such as bank sanctions and a halt to construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and help Ukraine with nearly $500 million in foreign military funding. The legislation has denounced “malicious” Russian influence by increasing funding for attempts to combat disinformation, citing the press release, Sputnik reported.
The legislation would provide Ukraine with emergency funding
In addition, the legislation would also provide emergency funding of $250 million, including $100 million for lethal aid for basic capabilities such as air defense, anti-tank and anti-ship capabilities for Ukraine. It would also encourage Congress to conduct a review of Ukraine’s arms sales and security aid, according to a press release from US Senate Shelley Moore Capito.
On the other hand, the legislation would also impose secondary penalties on institutions that continue to do business with sanctioned Russian banks, the press release said.
Meanwhile, Senator Bob Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the action as “partisanism” and insisted it was still possible for Democrats and Republicans to make a “diplomatic breakthrough” on a bipartisan sanctions package , according to Sputnik. While according to White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, bipartisan cooperation on a package of sanctions to be imposed on Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine is the best way to move the project forward.
It is worth noting that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is a Russian-managed project that would deliver Russian gas to Germany and parts of Western Europe via the Baltic Sea rather than via Poland and Ukraine. The initiative had previously been approved by the Biden administration, which took into account the project’s ties to Germany, a key NATO ally. According to media reports, the suspicion has grown in the West that the Putin government is using this strategy to exert too much influence on European gas supplies.
