Former Vice President Mike Pence says the Biden administration should step up punitive measures to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
“I can tell you I have met Vladimir Putin. I have looked him right in the eye,” Pence said Friday on Fox News. “I can tell you Putin only understands strength. Now is the time: less talk, more action.”
President Joe Biden leveled new economic penalties on the Russian financial system and Kremlin elites and sanctioned the Russia-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline this week amid the invasion. The White House announced on Friday plans for the United States to join European allies in directly sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin and top members of his national security team. The U.S. has not sought to remove Russia from the SWIFT financial-messaging system, a move favored by Pence.
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“I think it’s absolutely essential that we sanction the entire financial sector, that we cut Russia out of the SWIFT transaction program. That is literally a financial lifeline to their country,” Pence said. “I think it’s also important that we sanction oil exports. That’s the lifeline of the Russian economy.”
Russian forces have attacked Ukraine by land, air, and sea ever since Putin announced a “special military operation” earlier this week. Russian forces were converging on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as of Friday evening.
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Pence also encouraged Biden to consider actions closer to home.
“We need to sanction the oil exports for the Russians, and in the exact same moment, President Biden should authorize the Keystone XL pipeline and authorize oil and gas leases and exploration in the United States of America. Those two things in combination would send a deafening message of strength,” Pence said.
