House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a price for his “evil move” toward Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Putin called two occupied regions in Ukraine — the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic — independent, and he ordered what the Russian government called “peacekeeping” troops into those regions, in what the United States said was a prelude to an invasion.
BIPARTISAN CALLS FOR SWIFT SANCTIONS TO THWART RUSSIAN AGGRESSION IN UKRAINE
Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol that “it’s stunning to see in this day and age a tyrant go into a country.”
“This is the same tyrant who attacked our democracy in 2016,” Pelosi said in reference to the intelligence community’s assessment that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in an effort to harm Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.
“This is the same tyrant who is opposed to democracy, wants to minimize, trivialize, downgrade it in the eyes of the Russian people,” Pelosi continued.
Pelosi called for “devastating sanctions” against Putin from the U.S. and its allies, which she said must “remain united” so Putin cannot exploit a “fissure” within the coalition.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff compared Putin to a boa constrictor that has encircled Ukraine with troops.
Schiff said harsh sanctions will allow the Russian people to “see the costs of their dictator’s aggression.”
Pelosi called President Joe Biden’s response to the crisis “appropriate” and said the depth of the sanctions that will be issued against Russia has not yet been revealed.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I think the president has full knowledge of what impact these sanctions will have and is fully ready to go all the way with it, and that is something we have done together,” she said.
